Black Caps squad:Devon Conway replaced by Jacobs

New Black Caps coach Rob Walter has recalled a promising Auckland batter and a pace man who has not played for the Black Caps since late last year for his first assignment in charge.

Auckland Aces batter Bevon Jacobs is in line to make his Black Caps debut after being included in a 15-strong squad for next month’s T20I Tri Series with South Africa and Zimbabwe.

The major omission from the side is Devon Conway, who has struggled for runs in recent years for New Zealand.

The series will be New Zealand’s first-white ball tour of Zimbabwe since 2015.

The Black Caps will play the hosts and South Africa in a four-match T20 series at the Harare Sports Club starting 16 July, with the top two teams progressing to the final on 26 July.

Jacobs, 23, is the only uncapped player in an experienced tour party captained by Mitch Santner and featuring the return of speedster Adam Milne.

Jacobs was first called up to the T20 side to face Sri Lanka in December, but did not play in the three-game series and has recently returned from a stint with the Mumbai Indians at the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Milne, who has 53 T20Is to his name, has not featured for the Black Caps since November last year, but has impressed for the Texas Super Kings so far in America’s Major League Cricket, claiming 9-96 across his first four matches.

Milne will bolster the pace bowling stocks alongside the ICC’s number one ranked T20I bowler Jacob Duffy, and the Canterbury trio of Matt Henry, Will O’Rourke and Zak Foulkes.

Henry is back after a shoulder injury kept him sidelined from international cricket following the ICC Champions Trophy, where he was the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, helping propel the Black Caps to the final.