New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson has been named in the New Zealand squad for the five-match ODI series against India. A back injury had ruled him out of the tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa following the ICC World T20 held in India.
Anderson, however, returns as a specialist batsman with New Zealand selector Gavin Larsen making it clear that his bowling is still being monitored. “We’re excited to have Corey back. He provides power through the middle-order and knows the conditions in India well. He’s still working on his bowling and we’ll continue to monitor that, but for this series he will be used solely as a specialist batsman.”
Fast bowlers Mitchell McClenaghan and Adam Milne, Colin Munro and George Worker were all unavailable for selection due to injury. Tim Southee, who was ruled out of the Test series was named in the ODI squad, but Henry Nicholls missed out.
“India conditions are known to be quite harsh, so it's really important that we have cover for all positions,” Larsen said. “Luke Ronchi and BJ Watling provide us with wicketkeeping and middle-order cover, while Anton is another spin option for us and can bat anywhere in the order.
“The last time we played ODI cricket was in the Chappell-Hadlee series and victory there helped us reach the world no. 2 ranking. We obviously want to keep growing on that and this series is another massive challenge for us.”
NZ squad for ODIs: Kane Williamson (captain), Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Anton Devcich, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, James Neesham, Luke Ronchi, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, BJ Watling
