Williamson to lead New Zealand at the Twenty20 World Cup; Southee to make his 7th appearance

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Veteran seamer Tim Southee will play at his seventh Twenty20 World Cup after being included Monday in an experienced New Zealand squad for the tournament starting June 1 in the Caribbean and United States.

Kane Williamson will make his sixth T20 Cricket World Cup appearance and will captain the team at the tournament for the fourth time. He is warming up for the tournament in the Indian Premier League.

Southee’s regular new ball partner Trent Boult has been included to play at his fifth world T20, despite no longer having a central contract with New Zealand Cricket.

The 35-year-old Southee is New Zealand’s leading wicket-taker in T20 internationals with 157 and is also the Black Cap’s top wicket-taker at T20 World Cups with 29, five more than Boult.

The New Zealand selectors have sprung a minor surprise by selecting Matt Henry among four specialist seamers and ahead of Ben Sears, who was named as a traveling reserve. Henry, 32, will be playing at a T20 World Cup for the first time and has made only 20 previous appearances for New Zealand in the short format.