Chu gets chance in NZ XI to play Bangladesh on Sunday

BACKUP Otago keeper Max Chu has been named in a New Zealand XI which includes incumbent test opener Jeet Raval.

The team will play Bangladesh in a 50over match at Lincoln on Sunday.

Raval is the only player with international experience in the 12man squad and will look to get some meaningful cricket under his belt before the threematch test series against the tourists.

‘‘Jeet’s not playing . . . Super Smash cricket for Auckland, so the chance to spend some time in the middle against Bangladesh was too good to miss,’’ national selector Gavin Larsen said.

It is also a wonderful opportunity for the 18yearold Chu to enhance his reputation as one of the country’s best young wicketkeepers.

The former under19 national representative is the understudy for Volts wicketkeeper Mitch Renwick this season and is yet to make his provincial debut.

But he played for a New Zealand side against Sri Lanka last month and impressed with three catches and an undefeated knock of 33.

The lefthander has also been in good touch for his club, CarisbrookDunedin. He scored a brilliant hundred in the first game of the season.

‘‘I haven’t played firstclass cricket but I got a first taste of cricket at a high level

[last month] and it was good to see what that challenge was like,’’ he said.

His batting is still a work in progress but he has been ‘‘pretty happy with how it has been developing this season’’.

‘‘I’ve got pretty lucky out in the middle so it is good to put a couple on the board for the team.’’

Chu batted at No 10 in the tour game against Sri Lanka and will probably bat well down the order again. His role is simply to keep to the best of his ability.

‘‘My keeping comes first in this team. It is a strong team with a couple of young guns in it.

‘‘It will be a really good opportunity to test myself against some of the world’s best.’’

Super Smash players were not considered for selection with the exception of Wellington allrounder Rachin Ravindra.

‘‘We’ve identified Rachin as a player of interest for a significant period of time now,’’ Larsen said.

‘‘He did a very good job for the New Zealand A team in both the UAE and at home against India A and we believe another day of international cricket would be very advantageous for him.’’

In Ravindra, Finn Allen, Dale Phillips, Katene Clarke and Chu, the team features some of the younger players on NZC’s highperformance radar, as well as the Ford Trophy’s leading runscorer — Wellington’s Andrew Fletcher.

Larsen said the selectors were also looking forward to monitoring the progress of pace bowlers Iain McPeake, Andrew Hazeldine and Jamie Brown, and the prowess of Auckland allrounder Sean Solia.