Fast bowlers Matthew Fisher, Will O’Rourke and Blair Tickner have shaken off their respective injuries and will fly to Bangladesh next month for New Zealand’s six-match white-ball tour. Allrounder Dean Foxcroft also finds a place after two seasons on the domestic treadmill.
Tom Latham will lead both the three one-day internationals (ODIs) and the three Twenty20 internationals (T20Is). Usual white-ball skipper Mitchell Santner is tied up with Mumbai Indians in the IPL – a fairly common April dilemma these days.
O’Rourke (back) joins the ODI squad, Fisher (shin) is reserved for the T20Is, and Tickner (ankle) features in both lists. That variety should give Latham a bit of pace to play with on generally slow Bangladeshi pitches.
Head coach Rob Walter sounded quietly relieved. “Will, Blair and Matt have been working very hard over the past few months to get themselves back on the park and back in contention for selection and we’re pleased to welcome them back into the group,” he said. A moment later he underlined the wider point: “With the amount of cricket being played in the modern game, having depth in our bowling stocks is key. Having players of this quality come back is great for our side.”
Foxcroft’s recall owes plenty to a strong Ford Trophy, where he piled up 435 runs for champions Central Districts – fourth-most in the competition. The off-spinning right-hander last played white-ball cricket for the Black Caps two years ago and, at 28, will feel this is a window he has to prise open.
The selectors have also rewarded recent ‘A’-tour form. Muhammad Abbas and leg-spinner Adi Ashok step up after solid displays in Sri Lanka, while Kristian Clarke and Ben Sears appear in both squads. Left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox, part of January’s breakthrough win over India, could make his T20I bow.
It is a mixed, slightly experimental group, but that has become normal whenever the IPL pulls senior players away. The tour begins in Dhaka on 13 April, with ODIs at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on 17 and 20 April before a switch to Chattogram for the third match on 23 April. Two T20Is follow in Chattogram (27 and 29 April) and the finale returns to Dhaka on 2 May.
A glance at the squads, for the record:
ODI squad
Tom Latham (capt), Muhammad Abbas, Adi Ashok, Kristian Clarke, Josh Clarkson, Dane Cleaver, Dean Foxcroft, Nick Kelly, Jayden Lennox, Henry Nicholls, Will O’Rourke, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner, Will Young.
T20I squad
Tom Latham (capt), Katene Clarke, Kristian Clarke, Josh Clarkson, Dane Cleaver, Matt Fisher, Dean Foxcroft, Bevin Jacobs, Nick Kelly, Jayden Lennox, Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner.
Nothing headline-grabbing, no wild predictions – just a solid tour party and a handful of bowlers happy to be fit again.
