New Zealand have announced their 15-player squad for the upcoming three-match ODI Series against Bangladesh. Lockie Ferguson is set to captain the Blackcaps for the first time in his career after leading the team recently in tour matches in England.
The seamer will pick up the leadership responsibilities in the absence of regular ODI captain Kane Williamson who continues to recover from knee surgery. Vice-captain Tom Latham will also miss the series to have time at home before the ICC Cricket World Cup and Test tour to Bangladesh. New Zealand could also see an ODI debut for Dean Foxcroft who has earned his maiden selection following his T20I debut last month against UAE.
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With one eye on the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, and allowing some players a short break, the Blackcaps have decided to leave out Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner and Tim Southee from the squad.
Both Mark Chapman and Jimmy Neesham won’t be available for the series due to the tour coinciding with the imminent arrival of their first children, respectively. Coach Gary Stead talked about managing workloads and the importance of finding a good balance in the team ahead of a busy schedule for the team.
“We have a very full schedule between now until the end of our tour to Pakistan in April including the World Cup and the start of the new World Test Championship cycle so trying to keep players and staff fresh and ready at the right times is paramount,” said Gary Stead.
“Balancing workloads also provides opportunities and it’s exciting to have different players in the group and learning in an environment like Bangladesh. It can be a challenging place to tour and getting used to different conditions quickly will be important over the next few months,” added Stead.
The New Zealand coach also showed confidence in first-time captain Lockie Ferguson and mentioned how Dean Foxcroft’s strong domestic form resulted in his selection.
“Lockie is an experienced bowler at the international level, and this is an opportunity for him to really lead from the front with not just the bowling group but the team as a whole. He stepped into the role for the warm-up matches in England and led a group with a lot of moving parts well.”
“Any time a player is selected for the first time it’s exciting and Dean’s shown as the Volts’ leading white ball run scorer last summer the talent he has. We were impressed with the way he came into the group with the T20 Squad, and this will be another great opportunity to keep learning in our environment.”
New Zealand’s ODI Squad for Bangladesh: Lockie Ferguson (c), Finn Allen, Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Chad Bowes, Dane Cleaver, Dean Foxcroft, Kyle Jamieson, Cole McConchie, Adam Milne, Henry Nicholls, Rachin Ravindra, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner, Will Young.
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