Southampton: Openers Devon Conway and left-arm spinner Ejaz Patel, who scored a double century in their debut Test, besides injured players Kane Williamson and BJ Watling have been named as New Zealand’s squad for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India, starting Friday. Has been included in the 15-member team. Apart from them, Doug Bracewell, Jacob Duffy, Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra and Mitchell Santner, who were part of the Kiwi squad for the two-match Test series against England, have been dropped from the squad.
Commenting on the squad selection, New Zealand coach Gary Stead said,” There’s had to be some tough calls with Mitchell and Daryl victims of the fierce competition we currently have for places in the Test side. “We’ve gone with Ajaz as our specialist spinner after an impressive outing at Edgbaston and we believe he could be a factor at the Ageas Bowl.
“Colin’s been an integral member of our Test set-up for many years and it was great to see him return at Lord’s after a long injury lay-off. He’s a proven performer at the top level and we back him to do a job with the bat or the ball if called upon. “Kane and BJ have certainly benefitted from their week of rest and rehabilitation and we expect them to be fit and available for the final.
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“Playing in a World Cup Final is a really special occasion and I know the guys are looking forward to getting into their work here in Southampton. “India are a world class outfit who possess match winners all through their line-up, so we’re under no illusion about how tough they will be to beat,” he mentioned.
New Zealand WTC final squad: Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, BJ Watling, Tom Blundell, Colin de Grandhomme, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Ajaz Patel, Trent Boult, Matt Henry.
