Tom Latham to become Black Caps' 22nd ODI skipper with Kane Williamson unavailable due to IPL duties for next month's tri-series in Ireland
New Zealand name new ODI skipper
New Zealand opener Tom Latham is set to become the Black Caps’ 22nd one-day international captain when he leads his country in their tri-series against Ireland and Bangladesh next month.
Regular skipper Kane Williamson is one of a host of New Zealand’s biggest names who are unavailable due to Indian Premier League duties, with the Black Caps naming a new-look team for the ODIs in Ireland.
The 15-player squad features three potential debutants and four recalled players, with uncapped trio fast bowler Seth Rance, allrounder Scott Kuggeleijn and Test star Neil Wagner all in line to make his ODI debut.
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Hamish Bennett and George Worker return to international ranks after extended periods out of the one-day squad, Colin Munro and Henry Nicholls have also been recalled
The series will be New Zealand’s opportunity to prepare for the ICC Champions Trophy in England in June, but the Black Caps will be without 10 players who were not available for selection due to the IPL: Williamson, Martin Guptill, Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Mitchell McClenaghan, Lockie Ferguson, Corey Anderson, Matt Henry, Colin de Grandhomme.
Latham’s rise to the New Zealand captaincy is a turnaround in fortunes for the batsman, who had been struggling with form since the Black Caps’ Chappell-Hadlee series win over Australia in February.
The 25-year-old posted scores of 0, 2, 0, 10, 8 and 6 against South Africa before bouncing back with a half-century in the washed out final Test in Hamilton.
New Zealand will meet Ireland and Bangladesh in four ODIs in Dublin from May 12.
Players involved in the IPL will join up with the squad in Ireland once their IPL involvement ends, with a squad for the Champions Trophy to be named later this month.
New Zealand ODI squad: Tom Latham (c), Hamish Bennett, Neil Broom, Scott Kuggeleijn, Colin Munro, James Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Jeetan Patel, Seth Rance, Luke Ronchi, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, George Worker