Ronchi back for Black Caps
WELLINGTON: Luke Ronchi will make his return from injury in the Black Caps oneoff Twenty20 against South Africa at Eden Park on Friday, and also features in the New Zealand ODI squad named yesterday.
As expected, the 14strong T20 squad is missing Ross Taylor, although the veteran batsman has been named in the ODI squad.
However allrounder Colin Munro has been dropped for the fivematch ODI series, which begins next Sunday in Hamilton, and will play only in the Twenty20.
Munro is the only omission from the recent ODI squad which downed Australia 20 in the ChappellHadlee series.
His absence will allow Jimmy Neesham the opportunity to bat further up the order, New Zealand selector Gavin Larsen said.
‘‘Colin hasn’t quite shown the consistency he would like in the middleorder and we feel Jimmy deserved an opportunity with the bat at six,’’ he said.
Larsen said the return of legspinner Ish Sodhi alongside Mitch Santner provides more options for the Black Caps.
‘‘Having two frontline spinners in the side gives us flexibility and Ish is an aggressive bowler who in the right conditions can be a real threat for us.
‘‘South Africa are the top ranked team and have a number of players who can change the game very quickly. It’s going to be a massive challenge.’’
Larsen said it was pleasing to have Ronchi back in the limited overs mix after a groin injury sidelined him for the Chappell-Hadlee series.
‘‘He’s the No 1 whiteball wicketkeeper in the country and brings considerable experience to the group.
‘‘It’s an exciting team. There’s a lot of experience, but you also have the likes of Tom Bruce, Ben Wheeler and Lockie Ferguson who have made bright starts to their international careers.’’
A New Zealand XI to play South Africa in a warmup T20 in Auckland on Tuesday was also named. Opener Martin Guptill will not feature in the match at Eden Park Outer Oval as a precautionary measure, but pace bowler Adam Milne will make his return from injury.
‘‘Adam has put in an incredible amount of work to get back out on the park, so it’ll be a big moment for him on Tuesday,’’ Larsen said. — NZN