Despite Blackcaps softness seeping into Test and ODI mahi, the T20 World Cup presents Aotearoa with an opportunity to rebuild their mana. Aotearoa's squad for the T20 WC in Australia features the same general group who made the final last year with Tim Seifert, Todd Astle and Kyle Jamieson dropping out from the last WC squad. Lockie Ferguson missed the last WC due to injury and he's back in the mix, along with Michael Bracewell and Finn Allen.

Aotearoa made the T20 WC last year and this squad seems stronger, even though the general 1st 11 remains the same. Seifert played two games last year with 16 runs @ 114sr and this signals a wee demise for Seifert as he backed up an epic 2020 (50.28avg/140sr) with 10.62vg/84sr in 2021 T20Is. Seifert is currently in the Caribbean Premier League where he is the only batter at the time of writing with 100+ runs and a strike-rate below 100 (149 runs @ 21.28avg/86sr).

Seifert enjoyed regular Blackcaps T20I game time for a few years thanks to his punchy strokes, but that attacking zip has vanished recently. This coincides with Devon Conway sealing the wicket-keeper role and given that T20I has been Seifert's primary Blackcaps format, his slide out of this squad presents an intriguing juncture in Seiferts career this summer.

Conway could open alongside Martin Guptill, or sit in his number wha batting slot. If Conway isn't opening, Allen will join Guptill and this will inform kiwi cricket fans about Allen's progress as an international cricketer. With Conway opening, Aotearoa can squeeze Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell and Bracewell into the middle order.

Astle was a non-factor at last year's event and while Seifert has plenty of time to develop his game, Astle is at the end of his career. Astle finished last season's Super Smash with four consecutive games taking no wickets and one of the best T20 spinners in the world Ish Sodhi has moved to Canterbury for the domestic summer.

Kyle Jamieson didn't play a game at last year's T20 WC. In four games of T20I cricket last year, Jamieson bowled 15 overs for 1w @ 175avg/11.66rpo. While Jamieson averages 19.45 in Tests and 26.90 in ODIs, he has 4w @ 70.25avg in T20Is and his absence is not notable for Blackcaps T20I antics.

Astle and Jamieson didn't play at the last T20 WC, Seifert played two games. These three are not among Aotearoa's best T20I cricketers and regardless of what has happened in other formats; Ferguson, Allen and Bracewell are better T20I options.

Adam Milne continues to enjoy seamless selection and as a specialist white-ball operator, Milne took 3w @ 56.33avg/7rpo at last year's tournament. Milne may enjoy Australian conditions but he sits behind Ferguson in the fast bowling rankings and just because this T20 WC is in Australia, it doesn't mean that the Blackcaps recipe of world-class T20I spin bowling needs to change.

Spinners such as Rashid Khan, Ashton Agar, Adam Zampa, Steve O'Keefe, Qais Ahmad and Tanveer Sangha were all influential in last summer's Big Bash League. Australian grounds are hefty and Aussie pitches provide bounce as well as enough spin for variations to bite, which when combined with Blackcaps strengths presents an enticing wrinkle to keep tabs on.

Don't carry your Blackcaps softness hangover into this T20I phase. Aotearoa looked lacklustre in the ODI series loss vs Australia and this falls into alignment with Mitchell Santner's career mahi as he averages 36.16 in ODIs and 22.62 in T20I. Sodhi is slightly better than Santner in ODIs (34.70avg) but doesn't get a crack and averages 21.35 in T20I cricket.

The same applies for Ferguson who averages 28.71 in ODis and 16.12 in T20Is. Tim Southee struggles for ODI game time with an average of 33.97 and this flips into 24.96avg in T20I cricket. Need another example?

Jimmy Neesham's mahi is all about strike-rates in T20 cricket and while this is evident in his batting (165.84sr), Neesham moves from an expensive ODI bowling role-player to a highly efficient T20I wicket-taker. Neesham has a T20I bowling strike-rate of 18.6 which is on par with Santner's 18.9sr and Southee's 18.1sr, while Sodhi (15.9sr) and Ferguson (14.1sr) are elite.

Nothing from the tame ODI bowling vs Australia applies for T20I cricket heading into this WC. That's the crux of Blackcaps intrigue though as the softness idea is rooted in Test losses which became a trend as Aotearoa was swept by England in Tests, then Australia in ODIs. This T20 WC will teach us about Blackcaps mana and while not expecting championship glory, Aotearoa should be highly competitive for the second year in a row.

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Peace and love.