New Zealand Announce 9 Players In The 15-Man Squad For India ODIs

New Zealand, on Sunday (September 24), named an incomplete squad for their upcoming three-match One-Day International series against newly-turned world number team India. New Zealand named only nine players in their squad of 15 for the series while the remaining six players will be selected based on their performance for New Zealand A during the ongoing series in India.

The initial nine-man list wears a completely different look than the squad that took part in the Champions Trophy a few months ago. Allrounder James Neesham and batsman Neil Broom have been left out while Jeetan Patel and Luke Ronchi have retired from international cricket. On the other hand, Mitchell McClenaghan has opted not to sign a central contract in order to play for T20 franchises. Allrounder Corey Anderson, who was also in the squad for the Champions Trophy, is undergoing rehabilitation following the back operation.

Head coach Mike Hesson spoke on the reason which prompted New Zealand to not name a complete squad.

“The nine we’ve picked have made up the core of our ODI team for a while and all of them have experience playing in India,” Hesson said.

“With a number of our top guys already playing in India, it’s helpful to be able to select the squad in two parts. With six spots left, there’s an obvious incentive for the players in New Zealand A to perform and put their best foot forward,” he added.

Hesson also said that Neesham and Broom will be considered for selection again in the home summer if they work on their shortcomings. Both the players have been dropped from the team after their indifferent showing in the Champions Trophy. While Neesham managed to score just 47 runs in three innings and went wicketless, Broom scored 61 runs.

“It will be disappointing for James and Neil, but we’ve talked through the areas that we’d like to see them work on and if we see development, they’ll certainly both come into the reckoning come the home summer,” he said.

“Neil was really effective for us batting at three or four last season, but we have quality, established batsmen in those positions and we’d like to see Neil develop his game further to show he has the skills to bat at five. Jimmy needs go back and really dominate domestic cricket with both bat and ball. We know Jimmy is a talented player, but we’ve spoken with him around improving the consistency in all areas of his game,” he added.

Meanwhile, the series will start from October 22 in Mumbai. The three-match ODI series will be followed by a three-match T20I series.

New Zealand’s initial squad:

Martin Guptill, Tom Latham (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Trent Boult.