The Test season is going in full swing as West Indies and South Africa are facing each other, Pakistan is gearing up for the Bangladesh series and New Zealand announced their squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan and Sri Lanka (two-match Test series).
The team will be led by the ace pacer, Tim Southee while Tom Latham will be his deputy. A squad which has a five-spin bowling option will face Afghanistan in India and away series in Sri Lanka.
The squad, however, does not cover for the India series which will be followed by the Sri Lankan tour, but there will probably be more of the same squad for that important series.
The announced Test squad marks the comeback of Michael Bracewell to the longest format of the game after 18 months. Ajaz Patel and Mitchell Santer will be crucial for the spin department while Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Philips will likely play important roles with both bat and ball.
While talking to the media, the head coach Gary Stead said
The Asian tours are always the difficult ones. Test tours to the subcontinent can ask some really tough questions of pace bowlers due to the nature of the pitches and the heat and humidity. While we’re going over with an open mind around conditions, there is an understanding that all our bowling options may be needed across the different Tests. Tim and I have discussed this, and the need during these overseas tours to balance the workloads of the pace-bowlers, including himself, to ensure the team is best served.”
The squad also includes the young guns like Ben Sears and Will O’Rourke as both of the said players were impressive on their debuts.
“It’s always great when young guys force their way into squads through performance and I know Will and Ben are really looking forward to the challenges of Test cricket in the sub-continent,” Stead said.
“Michael had to show plenty of resilience to rehabilitate his injuries and force his way back into the Black Caps across all three formats. His all-round skills, and ability to take the ball away from the left-hander make him a great asset, especially on what we expect will be turning wickets in India and Sri Lanka.”
Saqlain Mushtaq will also join New Zealand as a bowling coach for three away Tests.
The Afghanistan Test is not part of the ICC Test Championship and will take place from September 9-13 while the Sri Lanka series will begin from September 18.
And after that the Black Caps will host England for a Test series late in November. The Kiwis are currently third in the WTC cycle and in these upcoming nine Test games the team will look to stretch their lead to play the final next year at Lords.
New Zealand Test squad to face Afghanistan and Sri Lanka
Tim Southee (capt), Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Kane Williamson, Will Young
