The Kiwis have revealed their picks for the New Zealand tour of Sri Lanka.
New Zealand has announced the players selected for their tour of Sri Lanka. They will face Sri Lanka in two Tests starting August 14. While the Tests will be part of the ICC World Test Championship, the Kiwis will also be playing three T20Is against Sri Lanka between August 31 and September 6. Kane Williamson, who is looking to move forward from their loss in the ICC World Cup, will be leading the team.
Four spinners were selected to be part of the team: William Somerville, Ajaz Patel, Mitchell Santner and Todd Astle. Somerville and Patel helped New Zealand win their Test series against Pakistan last year, Santner has been one of the team’s main bowlers in limited-overs, while Astle only played in four Tests and was sidelined due to injury. Santner also hasn’t played a Test match since December 2017 because of a knee injury.
“Playing three spinners is an option in Sri Lankan conditions and we believe this group provides the best variations and skill mix on offer. England was playing three spinners against Sri Lanka on their successful visit there last year and the slow bowlers also dominated the previous series against South Africa,” coach Gary Stead said.
They also selected three seamers to be included in the team: Trent Boult, Tim Southee, and Neil Wagner. Colin de Grandhomme has also been selected. Lockie Ferguson, who performed well during the ICC World Cup, wasn’t selected. Tom Blundell was selected as the back-up wicket-keeper.
New Zealand will be touring Sri Lanka for the first time since 2012-2013 and have last won in 1983-1984. Stead said it was time to move forward as a group given their subpar performance in the recently concluded World Cup. “It’s good timing for us after the World Cup. It was an incredible time for the team and the country, but we’re now excited to move forward as a group and sink our teeth into another opportunity,” he added.
The team lineup is as follows:
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Kane Williamson (captain
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Todd Astle
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Trent Boult
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Tom Blundell
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Colin de Grandhomme
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Henry Nicholls
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Tom Latham
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Ajaz Patel
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Will Somerville
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Jeet Raval
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Mitchell Santner
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Tim Southee
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Ross Taylor
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Neil Wagner
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BJ Watling
Kane Williamson will be looking ahead to the Test series and leave their unfortunate loss in the ICC Cricket World Cup behind. To find out more about the different game formats, visit Betwala’s site.
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