Neesham, Bracewell recalled to one-day squad
One-day international recalls for Jimmy Neesham and Doug Bracewell headline the Black Caps’ 13-man squad for their oneday international series against Sri Lanka.
Allrounder Neesham returns to the New Zealand ODI set-up for the first time since the 2017 Champions Trophy, while seamer Bracewell is poised for his first ODI match in over a year. Bracewell played the last of his 16 ODIs against the West Indies in Christchurch on December 23, 2017.
Opener Martin Guptill is back in the squad after a calf injury ruled him out of the tour to the United Arab Emirates against Pakistan.
One-day wicketkeeper Tom Latham and Colin de Grandhomme have both been rested following an extensive workload over the past 12 months.
The three-match series begins at Mt Maunganui’s Bay Oval next Thursday.
Latham’s absence behind the stumps paves the way for 24-yearold Northern Districts wicketkeeper-batsman Tim Seifert’s ODI debut.
Adam Milne, Corey Anderson and Todd Astle were not considered for selection because of injury.
‘‘With the World Cup now on our radar there is a need to look at different players over the home summer,’’ New Zealand Cricket selector Gavin Larsen said.
‘‘We want to win the one-day series against Sri Lanka, and we want to gain as much new information as possible while doing so.
‘‘Doug [Bracewell] and Jimmy [Neesham] have performed well on the domestic scene and showed during the recent New Zealand A series against India A that they’re ready for international cricket.’’
Seifert’s call-up to the ODI side was well deserved, Larsen said.
‘‘Tim’s also been rewarded for his strong New Zealand A form and we’ve been impressed by the development of his all-round game.
‘‘Colin [de Grandhomme] has played almost non-stop over the past year, so will take a wellearned rest as we continue to monitor the workloads of those who play all three formats.
‘‘It’s great to have Martin [Guptill] back after injury and he’ll obviously add all his class and experience to the side.’’
Northern Districts spinner Mitchell Santner’s return from
Kane Williamson (c), Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.
New Zealand ODI squad to play Sri Lanka:
ODI series:
January 3 and 5: Bay Oval, Mt Maunganui.
January 8: Saxton Oval, Nelson.
knee surgery is tracking well and Larsen believed he would be back in the Black Caps selection reckoning in the new year.
‘‘Mitchell made a promising return in the [domestic] Super Smash over the weekend and we’ll continue to monitor his progress closely.’’
The Black Caps have 11 ODIs over the home summer against Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh leading into the 2019 Cricket World Cup, which starts in late May in England.