New Zealand announce Test squad for Ireland, England series, Kane Williamson included

New Zealand have announced the Test squad for their upcoming tour to Ireland and England. The Black Caps are set to play a solitary Test against Ireland before commencing their three-match series against the Three Lions starting from June 4.

Some of the notable absentees from the squad include the spin duo of Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell. Santner pulled out of the Indian Premier League after sustaining a shoulder injury, while Bracewell made himself unavailable for selection from red-ball cricket. 

Fast bowler Jacob Duffy is also not available for selection as he will stay back in the country, as he and his wife are set to welcome their first child.

“Jake has been hugely impressive and influential across all formats, but this is a far more important period of his life coming up and we’re fully supportive of him and his wife Tash,” New Zealand head coach Rob Walter said as quoted on ESPNcricinfo.

New Zealand, however, have named several fast bowlers in their squad travelling to Europe, including the returning duo of Kyle Jamieson and Will O’Rourke. The former is set to play the longest format of the game for the first time in two years, whilst O’Rourke is also nursing his way back from an injury.

“It’s a great privilege to start this next period of sustained red-ball cricket with all our pace bowlers ready to go. Kyle’s been on a journey of getting his body ready for Test cricket. He’s really fit and strong at the moment and will bring a unique edge to our bowling line-up. Will brings a quality set of skills and physical attributes which make him a hugely exciting addition to any Test team,” Walter added.

It is also worth mentioning that former captain Kane Williamson is also named in the squad. This comes after the star batter stated that he will evaluate his availability in international cricket on a series-by-series basis. The right-handed batter is currently 539 runs away from becoming the first New Zealand batter to reach 10,000 runs in Test match cricket. 

New Zealand squad for Test series against Ireland and England: Tom Latham (C), Tom Blundell (WK), Kristian Clarke (Ireland Test only), Devon Conway, Zak Foulkes, Dean Foxcroft, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Michael Rae (Ireland Test only), Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears (Ireland Test and travelling reserve for England Tests), Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner, Kane Williamson, Will Young (Ireland Test only)