Anderson has not played international cricket since May 2015
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New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson has fully recovered from his back injury and will make his international comeback in the two-match Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka.
Anderson sustained a stress-related back injury in May and only started playing competitive cricket again in November.
“It’s been a long process for Corey, but we’ve been happy with his recent progress and the fact he’s managed to string a few games together for the Northern Knights,” New Zealand coach Mike Hesson said. “He’s getting closer to bowling, but we’ll be taking a precautionary approach. We’ve seen how dynamic a batsmen he is and can threaten any bowling attack in the world.”
Fellow all-rounder Grant Elliott will also return as he has recovered from a broken arm, which he sustained while bowling in the nets.
“Grant brings a lot to the squad and has experience in pressure moments, which is key to batting in the middle order in Twenty20,” Hesson said.
Kane Williamson will captain New Zealand as Brendon McCullum confirmed that he would not be playing in the World Twenty20 in India in March.
Pace bowler Matt Henry failed to make the squad despite his good form in the ongoing ODI series, and so did batsman Tom Latham. Meanwhile, all-rounder James Neesham and off-spinner Nathan McCullum were unavailable for selection as the former is nursing a back injury, while the latter has yet to recover from a knee injury.
New Zealand T20 squad: Kane Williamson (capt), Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Mitchell McClenaghan, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Luke Ronchi, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor