Former Australian keeper Luke Ronchi named in New Zealand squad
The 15-man New Zealand one-day squad for their upcoming tour to England and the Champions Trophy also sees the return of spinner Daniel Vettori, who has been sidelined for eight months with an ankle injury.
Former Australian wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi was on Friday named in the 15-man New Zealand one-day squad for their upcoming tour to England and the Champions Trophy.
Ronchi is the only player who has not previously represented New Zealand in the side that also sees the return of spinner Daniel Vettori, who has been sidelined for eight months with an ankle injury.
The touring Test squad sees recalls for Martin Guptill and Mark Gillespie, who are added to the list of players who featured in the squads for the recent drawn three-Test home series against England.
The 31-year-old Ronchi is New Zealand born but was raised in Australia where he played four one-day internationals and three Twenty20 internationals in 2008-09 before returning to his country of birth.
National selection manager Kim Littlejohn said that with a fully fit squad, the race for spots had never been so competitive.
"The ODI squad has a core group of players who have now played in a number of international tournaments and bring a wealth of experience," he said.
"Having Daniel Vettori back in the side adds to that and we're really excited to have someone of his quality back in the team.
"Luke Ronchi gets his chance after impressing on the domestic scene. We know how dangerous he is and look forward to seeing him display his talents on the international stage," he added.
The tour begins on May 4 with the first of two warm-up games before New Zealand play two Tests and three one-dayers against England ahead of the Champions Trophy, which begins on June 6.
Test squad: Brendon McCullum (captain), Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Dean Brownlie, Peter Fulton, Martin Guptill, Mark Gillespie, Tom Latham, Bruce Martin, Hamish Rutherford, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson.
ODI and Champions Trophy squad: Brendon McCullum (captain), Trent Boult, Grant Elliott, Andrew Ellis, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Colin Munro, Luke Ronchi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Daniel Vettori, Kane Williamson.