New Zealand Cricket (NZC) have announced the New Zealand squad for the upcoming white-ball series against India, which will start from January 11. Both India and New Zealand are scheduled to play a three-match ODI series followed by five T20Is. Uncapped left-arm orthodox bowler Jayden Lennox rewarded with maiden call-up.
Uncapped stars included in New Zealand squad
Head coach Rob Waltersaid that Jayden Lennox is a player that the team management has kept an eye on for some time and has the potential to be a consistent performer for the Black Caps.
Apart from Lennox, New Zealand added Kristian Clarke and emerging internationals Adi Ashok, Josh Clarkson, Nick Kelly and recent Test debutant Michael Rae in their ODI squad.
“Jayden has been an identified player of interest for some time and has some good New Zealand “A” experience under his belt. He's consistently been one of the top performers in white-ball cricket domestically for a number of seasons,” Walter said in a statement released by New Zealand Cricket.
Why did Kane Williamson miss out?
New Zealand batting superstar Kane Williamson will miss the white-ball series against India because of his SA20 commitments. He wasn’t originally picked in the auction, but the Durban Super Giants replaced Taijul Islam with the Kiwi.
“Kane Williamson is unavailable for ODI selection due to commitments in the SA20 league,” New Zealand confirmed in the statement.
Other key omissions
Nathan Smith (side strain), Blair Tickner (shoulder), and Mark Chapman (ankle) were left out of the ODI squad as they are still working on the way to recovery and are following their individual return-to-play programs. Chapman, however, is likely to be available for the T20 series.
Ben Sears has also returned from his stint in Melbourne, but was not included in the ODI squad as his recovery is still ongoing. Team sources say he is making good progress and is expected to be fit in time for the Super Smash.
ODI Squad for India
Michael Bracewell (c), Adi Ashok, Kristian Clarke, Josh Clarkson, Devon Conway (wk), Zak Foulkes, Mitch Hay, Kyle Jamieson, Nick Kelly, Jayden Lennox, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Michael Rae, Will Young.
T20 Squad for India
Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway (wk), Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Ish Sodhi.