Blair Tickner added to New Zealand squad for tri-series in cover for Mitchell Santner

New Zealand will host Pakistan and Bangladesh for a tri-series set to get underway on October 7, Friday ahead of the 20-20 World Cup 2022. The teams have already reached the country and are sweating it hard ahead of the much-anticipated series. 

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Commenting on New Zealand’s squad, the team will play in the absence of Mitchell Santner as the star allrounder is with his family on the back of the birth of his first child last week. As it stands, Blair Tickner, the pacer has been added to the squad as the cover for Santner. 

Tickner travelled with the New Zealand squad for the series against Ireland and Netherlands and bagged seven wickets. Based on his unavoidable records, Tickner was brought into the squad to cover Santner who is expected to join the team at the weekend. 

However, the 28-year-old will not be a part of the New Zealand squad for the 20-20 World Cup 2022. The Kiwis will face Pakistan in their opener of the tri-series on Saturday at Hagley Oval, Christchurch.

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We can't ask for any better: Jamie Siddons

Ahead of the tri-series, Bangladesh’s batting coach Jamie Siddons said that the team would not ask for better preparation. Further, the coach backed the batters to fight it out in the middle and hoped to win the series. 

“We came out of 40 degrees and so it's nice to be in some cool weather, at least for the Aussie guys in the group, but conditions are very similar looking at the wicket over there and the indoor center really nice. Hagley (Oval) would play a lot like Australia, I think early season Australia is pretty similar to what it is here,” Siddons was quoted as saying. 

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“The boys are coming along and we have a pretty young team. Some of the senior players have retired or not on this tour and the young team were excited, but they have got a bit learning to do. We would be looking forward to see two pretty strong teams here,” he said further.