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by IANS |
Perth, Dec 10 (IANS) New Zealand opener Finn Allen may miss part of the five-match T20I series in India, scheduled for January 2026, due to his upcoming Big Bash League (BBL) commitments with Perth Scorchers.
The T20I series against India, starting on January 21 in Nagpur, and followed by matches in Raipur, Guwahati, Visakhapatnam, and Thiruvananthapuram, is regarded as vital preparation for New Zealand ahead of the T20 World Cup scheduled to take place in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.
Before this, New Zealand will play three ODIs in India from January 11–17 and Allen’s availability for the T20Is depends on the defending champions Scorchers’ progress in the BBL. If the Scorchers reach the final on January 25, Allen may not be available until the fourth T20I on January 28.
However, if they do not qualify, Allen is expected to be available for the full T20I series. “Pending selection, I’ll head straight to India once the Big Bash finishes up for us,” Allen was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo on Wednesday.
Allen is one of five players who have signed casual agreements with New Zealand Cricket (NZC), providing flexibility between national duties and franchise commitments. "Playing for New Zealand is still, for me, the pinnacle and the reason why I love playing is to represent my country. But cricket's obviously evolving and changing year on year."
"New Zealand Cricket's been really good to work with over the last wee while. (I'm) confident about getting back into some Black Caps stuff after the Big Bash and hopefully can continue that," he added.
Allen is set to debut alongside Australia’s T20I captain Mitchell Marsh for the Scorchers, marking his return to competitive cricket after suffering a foot stress fracture during the Major League Cricket (MLC) in the USA in July.
In that tournament, his knock of 151 runs, including hitting a record 19 sixes for San Francisco Unicorns against Washington Freedom, left everyone jaw-dropped. Allen last featured for New Zealand in March, scoring 27 off 12 balls in an eight-wicket win over Pakistan in Wellington.
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