“We’re a family environment and after speaking with Blair we fully support him being at home,” New Zealand’s head coach Gary Stead said. “The birth of a child is a special time and we’re glad to be able to support Blair in being at home.
“Jacob’s been part of many Blackcaps squads in the past and has always acquitted himself well at international level. He’s got good skills and experience and we look forward to welcoming him into our squad in Dubai.”
New Zealand are travelling to the UAE with a somewhat second-string squad, which is without regulars Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips and Ish Sodhi. Those players, however, will return when New Zealand move to England for a four-match T20I and ODI series (August 30 to September 15) that immediately follows the UAE tour.
New Zealand will play the first of three matches against UAE on August 17, at the Dubai International Stadium.
