India vs New Zealand: Williamson to skip ODI series as spinner Lennox earns maiden call-up

Left-arm orthodox bowler Jayden Lennox has earned his first call-up in the New Zealand squad for the white-ball tour of India in January next year. Kyle Jamieson and Mitchell Santner are back with the former coming back in both the white ball sides.

Santner has been named in the T20 side only, as part of his return-to-play plan as he recovers from his groin injury. He will lead the Black Caps in T20Is. But Kane Williamson is unavailable for ODI selection due to his commitments in the SA20 league.

Michael Bracewell to captain NZ ODI side vs India

Michael Bracewell will lead the side during the one-day series in Santner’s absence, surrounded by an experienced leadership group of Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Will Young and Henry Nicholls.

Lennox has been named in the ODI squad, alongside the uncapped Kristian Clarke, and emerging internationals Adi Ashok, Josh Clarkson, Nick Kelly, and the recent Test debutant, Michael Rae.

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Head coach Rob Walter said he’s pleased to see Lennox’s progression through the NZC high performance system.

“Jayden has been an identified player of interest for some time and has some good New Zealand “A” experience under his belt. He’s consistently been one of the top performers in white-ball cricket domestically for a number of seasons,” he said in a release.

Test Captain Tom Latham and front-line seam bowler Matt Henry both miss the ODI series, with the former staying in New Zealand for the birth of his third child, and the latter continuing to rehab after his recent calf tear ahead of the T20 series and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in February.

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Batters Bevon Jacobs and Tim Robinson both come back into the T20 squad after producing some impressive performances for their respective domestic sides.

James Neesham and Ish Sodhi also come back into the squad, with Neesham having taken part in the Nepal Premier League and ILT20 in recent weeks.

Sodhi returns from domestic duties with Canterbury.

Newly IPL-contracted players Jacob Duffy and Zak Foulkes have earned the nod after impressing throughout the home summer, with Foulkes set to experience T20 cricket in India for the first time.

Lockie Ferguson, Adam Milne, Finn Allen and Tim Seifert will be joining the squad in India as soon as their franchise commitments are complete. This will allow them to feature in the back end of the T20 series in India ahead of the T20 World Cup.

Nathan Smith (side), Blair Tickner (shoulder) and Mark Chapman (ankle) were not considered for selection for the ODI series as they continue with their respective return-to-play-plans. Chapman is on track to play in the T20 series.

NZ ODI Squad: Michael Bracewell (c), Adi Ashok, Kristian Clarke, Josh Clarkson, Devon Conway, Zak Foulkes, Mitch Hay, Kyle Jamieson, Nick Kelly, Jayden Lennox, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Michael Rae, Will Young.

NZ T20I Squad: Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Ish Sodhi.