Published: Oct 23, 2018, 08:06 AM (IST)
Edited: Oct 23, 2018, 08:06 AM (IST)
New Zealand A captain Corey Anderson and wicketkeeper-batsman Glenn Phillips have been added to New Zealand’s T20I squad to face Pakistan in three matches later this month. The pair has been in the UAE with New Zealand A playing limited-overs matches with Pakistan A, and will join the senior team’s 13-man squad after completing the remaining two one-day games in Dubai this week.
“Corey and Glenn are in good form and have performed well in the local conditions over the past couple of weeks,” the selector Gavin Larsen said Tuesday. “They obviously bring plenty of firepower, but their versatility will also give the squad the desired balance. Despite Martin Guptill being ruled out, we’ve decided to name just two rather than three additional players, taking the squad to 13. We’re confident that, with the As on the ground over there, we have adequate cover.”
This marks a return for Anderson to the New Zealand set-up for the first time since the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, having undergone surgery in September of last year.
“It’s obviously been a long road back and after the surgery there were some long tedious days,” he said. “But this is what the rehab is for and to be picked again is a great feeling.”
Larsen backed the 27-year-old allrounder’s return to international cricket. “Corey’s had a really good winter playing in the UK and training back at home, and has shown on the New Zealand A tour he’s more than ready for the rigours of international cricket,” said the former Black Caps’ pace bowler.
Phillips, 21, has played eight T20Is for New Zealand since he made his debut in February 2017. He was dropped in January after a lean period, but a strong Caribbean Premier League for Jamaica Tallawahs, in which he was second-highest run-getter with 457 at a strike rate of 147, boosted his chances of a recall. For New Zealand A in the UAE, Phillips scored 53 and 69 not out in two victories which helped clinch a 2-1 T20 series victory over Pakistan A last week.
New Zealand A’s last one-day match against Pakistan A is on October 26, after which Larsen and coach Gary Stead will name the final additions to the ODI squad.
New Zealand T20I squad: Kane Williamson (capt), Corey Anderson, Mark Chapman, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Glenn Phillips, Seth Rance, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor
