Corey Anderson And Glenn Phillips Added To New Zealand T20I Squad

New Zealand have added allrounder Corey Anderson and wicketkeeper-batsman Glenn Phillips to their T20I squad for the forthcoming series against Pakistan.

Both the players are currently plying their trades for New Zealand A against Pakistan A in UAE. They will play the two remaining one-day matches against Pakistan A before joining the main squad. New Zealand had initially named an 11-man squad for the T20I series.  The selectors had decided to fill up the remaining places based on performances for the A side.

Phillips who has played eight T20Is, gets his chance after injury ruled Martin Guptill out of the series. The keeper-batsman ended the three-match T20 series against Pakistan A as the highest run-scorer, scoring 126 runs. He also had a good outing in the Caribbean Premier League where he was the second highest run-getter with 457 runs.

Corey Anderson And Glenn Phillips Added To New Zealand T20I Squad
Glenn Phillips (Credits: Getty)

But unlike Phillips, Anderson is having a tough time in UAE. So far in three T20Is and one one-dayer, he has managed to score 16, 0, 22 and 38. The call-up, nonetheless, puts Anderson just one step away from marking his international comeback. The allrounder had last played for New Zealand during the last year’s Champions Trophy.

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Corey Anderson And Glenn Phillips Added To New Zealand T20I Squad
Corey Anderson (Credits: BCCI)

Injuries and poor form had kept him out of the New Zealand team for quite some time. He underwent a back surgery last year which sidelined him for a lengthy period. His form then only made things tougher for him. The hard-hitting allrounder managed just 17 runs and 3 wickets for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL.

But he had a good outing for Somerset in England, scoring 514 runs.

New Zealand selector Gavin Larsen said:

“Corey and Glenn are in good form and have performed well in the local conditions over the past couple of weeks. They obviously bring plenty of firepower, but their versatility will also give the squad the desired balance.

New Zealand and Pakistan will play a full-fledged series in UAE. The series consists off three T20Is, three ODIs and a couple of Tests.

New Zealand squad:

Kane Williamson (capt), Corey Anderson, Mark Chapman, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Glenn Phillips, Seth Rance, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor

 

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