New Zealand include new faces for Bangladesh series

AUCKLAND - New Zealand cricket selectors have included two new players for their ODI and Twenty20 squads for next month’s series against Bangladesh.

Left-arm fast bowler Andrew McKay is in line for his ODI debut, while batsman Peter Ingram has been included in the ODI and Twenty20 squads.

Lou Vincent, who has scored some big scores in the national Twenty20 competition, including a 105 not out, and was one of four New Zealanders accepted for the recent Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, has missed out.

“The teams have been selected with an eye to the T20 World Cup in the West Indies in May, and players for next year’s ODI World Cup in Asia. We have picked two sides for Bangladesh, but our mid to long-term focus is on the two World Cup campaigns,” The New Zealand Herald quoted Mark Greatbatch, national selector, as saying.

Greatbatch further said that McKay and Ingram have worked their way into calculations by performing well across all forms of the game.

“We wanted to give him an opportunity against Bangladesh. It is exciting for him and good reward for some very good performances over a couple of seasons,” Greatbatch said.

“Similarly, Andrew has been impressing around the traps for a while, with Auckland and latterly with Wellington. He has some good pace about him and we wanted to give him a chance at the next level up,” he added.

Shane Bond, Grant Elliot, Kyle Mills and Jesse Ryder were not considered due to injury.

Squad for the ODI: Brendon McCullum, Peter Ingram, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Neil Broom, James Franklin, Jacob Oram, Daniel Vettori, Ian Butler, Daryl Tuffey, Tim Southee, Andrew McKay.

Squad for Twenty20: Brendon McCullum, Peter Ingram, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, James Franklin, Gareth Hopkins, Jacob Oram, Nathan McCullumm, Daniel Vettori, Ian Butler, Daryl Tuffey, Tim Southee. (ANI)