Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson return to New Zealand ODI squad for Australia series

New Zealand, on Tuesday, announced their squad for the upcoming away three-match ODI series against Australia which will get underway on March 13 in Sydney. The Black Caps have recalled their pace trio of Trent Boult, Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson for the challenging tour. All three players were struggling with injuries in recent times.

Boult missed the limited-overs leg of the series against India due to a hand injury. However, he returned to action during the two-match Test series and played a crucial role in his team’s memorable whitewash win. On the other hand, Matt Henry (broken thumb) and Lockie Ferguson (calf strain) are yet to play an international game since suffering the injuries during the Test series in Australia in December-January.

However, the two have returned to competitive cricket and have played one first-class game and a couple of List A matches. Apart from Boult, Henry and Ferguson, New Zealand have also named Tim Southee and the promising Kyle Jamieson in their full-strength squad. On the other hand, pacer Hamish Bennett and allrounder Scott Kuggeleijn have been left out of the 15-member squad.

Eyes on Chappell-Hadlee Trophy

Ahead of the series in Australia, New Zealand head coach Gary Stead hailed his team as a settled unit while also admitting that the tour will be a challenging one. He also said that winning the three-match series will mean a lot to the players.

“Our one-day unit is a pretty settled one with plenty of experience and I think that showed in the recent series against India,” Stead said according to Cricbuzz. “Playing Australia in Australia is one of the great challenges in world cricket and you know you will be severely tested in all aspects of the game. It’s an honour to compete for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy and I know it means a lot to the players to have the trophy in our cabinet,” he added.

The Black Caps are brimming with confidence after their brilliant display against India. The Kane Williamson-led side thrashed the Men in Blue 3-0 in the ODI before sweeping the two-match Test series too. New Zealand will be looking to avenge their loss in the Test series a couple of months ago when they take on Australia.

New Zealand ODI squad: Kane Williamson (c), Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.