NZ v PAK 2020: "We are looking at the World Cup in India next year" - Mitchell Santner
New Zealand have already set their sights on next year's T20I World Cup in India, stand-in captain Mitchell Santner has said.
The Kiwis are enjoying an excellent run in T20I cricket at the moment. They began their series against Pakistan with a convincing win on Friday, just a couple of weeks after comfortably dispatching the West Indies 2-0 in the three-match series.
Following his team's victory over Pakistan, Mitchell Santner praised the energy his teammates showed on the field.
"The energy in the field was outstanding. Probably a change in the team going into the next game, but we'll take this confidence. We are looking at the World Cup in India next year. And we'll have around four changes in our next game with the Test stars coming back in," Mitchell Santner said.
Despite being tested by Pakistan in the first T20I, New Zealand kept their grip on the game at all times. They chased down the target of 154 with relative ease, and will now be aiming to seal the series in the second T20I on Sunday.
New Zealand finding their form ahead of the World Cup
New Zealand were going through a poor run of form in the shortest format of the game before the COVID-19 pandemic brought cricket to a halt.
Now it looks like they are finding their feet at the right time, with the T20I World Cup just ten months away.
The likes of Glenn Philipps, Tim Seifert, Devon Conway and Jacob Duffy have slotted into the team seamlessly, and have contributed enormously to their success this summer.
New Zealand selectors will have some tough decisions to make ahead of the World Cup, with Kane Williamson, Trent Boult and Ross Taylor all yet to be accommodated into this new-look side.
The 2019 ODI World Cup finalists are sure to be one of the favorites going into the T20I World Cup, which is due to be held in India in October 2021.