New Zealand on Friday named a star-studded 19-member squad for the upcoming three unofficial Tests against India A. The extended squad features 11 international players for the three four-day matches, with the opener set to begin on Saturday, October 23, in Lincoln.
New Zealand A will be led by Canterbury's Rhys Mariu in the first two Tests, while the skipper for the third and final game has not been revealed yet. Adi Ashok, Kristian Clarke, Dean Foxcroft, Matt Fisher, Mitch Hay, Jayden Lennox, Ben Lister, Henry Nicholls and Tim Robinson have all been named in the squad. These players bring a lot of experience to the side, having represented the senior team in the past.
Nick Kelly, who is New Zealand's newest centrally contracted player, is also in line to feature in the third match. The A series will run concurrently with the white-ball matches between New Zealand and India.
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"We're really looking forward to hosting India A," New Zealand Cricket Head of High Performance Development, Pete Sanford, said in an official statement.
{{/usCountry}}"We're really looking forward to hosting India A," New Zealand Cricket Head of High Performance Development, Pete Sanford, said in an official statement.
{{/usCountry}}“They've announced a very strong lineup, which poses a great opportunity for growth as players to test their strengths against international class. There's a huge buzz around having India on our shores, and I know the squad are raring to get their domestic summer underway,” he added.
All you need to know about A series
The first unofficial Test will be played at Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln from October 24 to 27, with the second at Hagley Oval in Christchurch from October 31 to November 3.
The third and final match will go ahead at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln from November 7 to 10. India A have named a strong squad for the series, with Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Sai Sudharsan, KL Rahul, Akash Deep and Washington Sundar among the squad. Rishabh Pant was also named in the team, but a left side strain ruled him out of the first two Tests.
New Zealand A squads for four-day matches against India A
1st Match: Rhys Mariu (C), Matt Boyle, Max Chu, Kristian Clarke, Dean Foxcroft, Zak Gibson, Mitch Hay (WK), Curtis Heaphy, Simon Keene, Jayden Lennox, Jarrod McKay, Tim Robinson, Fraser Sheat.
2nd Match: Rhys Mariu (C), Matt Boyle, Kristian Clarke, Matt Fisher, Dean Foxcroft, Zak Gibson, Mitch Hay (WK), Curtis Heaphy, Simon Keene, Jayden Lennox, Jarrod McKay, Tim Robinson, Fraser Sheat.
3rd Match: Adi Ashok, Matt Boyle, Max Chu (WK), Dean Foxcroft, Curtis Heaphy, Simon Keene, Nick Kelly, Ben Lister, Rhys Mariu, Jarrod McKay, Cam Paul, Henry Nicholls, Fraser Sheat.