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A round-up of Sunfoil Series matches

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Feb-2013Cape Cobras registered a thumping nine-wicket win over Titans in Benoni, to take their place at the top of the Sunfoil Series points table after nine matches. After their attack had combined to bowl out Titans for under 200 for the second time in three days, they were left chasing a mere 17 runs for victory. Opener Alistair Gray had to retire hurt after facing just one ball, but that had no impact on Cobras cruising to victory.Cobras bowlers’ efforts were built upon by Stiaan van Zyl, who struck a century from No. 3 as in their first innings. Justin Kemp, batting at No. 8, consolidated their position in the game with 73. That lifted Cobras to 373, with a first-innings lead of 179. By the time Titans drew even in the second innings, they had already lost seven wickets with Johann Louw and Beuran Hendricks – the most effective bowlers in the first innings, too – causing most of the damage. From then on, it was just a matter of time before Cobras closed out the game.In a game that followed a similar path, Dolphins beat Warriors by nine wickets in Durban. After choosing to bowl, Dolphins skittled out Warriors for 92 – that total took some rearguard effort in fact, as Warriors were at one stage 36 for 6. Left-arm pacer Mthokozisi Shezi caused most of Warriors’ trouble, taking a five-for. He was well supported by his partner with the new ball, Kyle Abbott, who took 3 for 19 in the innings.A series of cameos from the Dolphins batsmen then put them firmly on top, as they got to 245 with Khayelihle Zondo top scoring with 51. In Warriors’ second innings, Abbott came good once again, knocking over four top-order wickets as they were dismissed for 198. That left Dolphins with 46 to chase, and they did so in 12 overs at close to four an over.Lions were at No. 2 on the points table, after drawing their ninth-round game with Knights in Kimberley. Knights chose to bat, and based on a collective effort got to 348. While none of the line-up got to a hundred, the innings was built around Rilee Rossouw, who top scored with 80, and Werner Coetsee, who made 78 from No. 7. They then had Lions in a spot of bother, bowling them out for 219.However, the 129-run first-innings lead did not make too much of a difference, as Lions did not let any of the Knights batsmen score quickly enough for them to force a result, especially since rain came into the equation; Lions played out 42 overs in their second innings, for 108 for 2, as the match petered out into a draw.

Australia’s young fast bowling spearhead James Pattinson is out of the remainder of the Test series against India after scans revealed the early signs of stress fractures in the metatarsal bone of his left foot

Daniel Brettig06-Jan-2012Australia’s young fast-bowling spearhead James Pattinson is out of the remainder of the Test series against India after scans revealed the early signs of stress fractures in the metatarsal bone of his left foot.He has been replaced in the squad for the Perth Test by Mitchell Starc – the only change to the squad that was selected for Sydney. Ryan Harris is favoured to win a recall to the XI after making his own return to fitness.Pattinson bowled throughout the Sydney Test but complained of pain in his left foot towards the end of the match. Scans revealed the injury, which the team physio Alex Kountouris called an “early stage bone stress injury of the metatarsal bone of the left foot”.”He will be managed carefully over the next few weeks and will not be available for the remainder of the Test series,” Kountouris said.John Inverarity, the national selector, said his panel had already considered resting Pattinson for the WACA Test after he played four Tests in little more than a month since his debut against New Zealand in Brisbane.”The intention of the National Selection Panel was to rest James from the Perth Test match as this young man has played in four Test matches over a period of just five weeks,” Inverarity said. “This intention has become a necessity after post-match scans have revealed James’ foot injury.”Pattinson’s injury is a serious blow to Australia, given that in those four Tests he has taken 25 wickets at 18.12, while also impressing considerably with the bat. It also continues an unsettling run of injuries for young fast bowlers. Pat Cummins, who made an equally remarkable introduction against South Africa in Johannesburg in November, is missing the entirety of the home Test summer due to a heel injury.At the other end of the age scale is Harris, who would now appear certain to return to the XI for the Perth Test, after battling a hip problem and then building up his fitness for Test cricket with an intensive training regimen through December.Before Pattinson’s injury was known, Clarke said Harris’ recall as part of a pace quartet was a genuine option – he had also flirted with the idea before the Sydney match.”It is an option, there will certainly be at least four fast bowlers in our squad for Perth, and we’ll assess conditions once we get there,” Clarke said. “I’m hoping that wicket is similar to what we played on against England last summer, where it’s got a lot of pace and bounce and some sideways movement. If that’s the case there’s an option there [to play four quicks], but I always love to have a spinner in the team, and I continue to say that I think Nathan Lyon is doing a really good job for this team.”Clarke’s run as captain has been made far more agreeable by the presence of an effective pace attack, and he said the group’s collective ability to place pressure on India’s batsmen had been significant to the results so far.”We have [several] guys who can get a breakthrough, that’s one of the most pleasing things for a captain,” he said. “You can turn to any one of our bowlers to try and take a wicket, so that makes life easier for me. We’re able to build up pressure – at the moment, we’re bowling a lot of dot balls, bowling a lot of maidens, we’re restricting the scoring and I think that is what’s getting us wickets.”It’s not necessarily a one-off delivery that is getting somebody out. Against very good players you have to be able to build up pressure – if you think one-off balls are going to get six or seven of the best batsmen in the world out, you’re in for a rude shock. So you need the whole team and the whole bowling attack performing, and that’s what we’re doing at the moment.”

Paul Collingwood has been told to go away and clear his mind before he regains his place in the one-day side, after being dropped for the opening match against Australia

Brydon Coverdale in Melbourne16-Jan-2011Paul Collingwood has been told to go away and clear his mind before he regains his place in England’s one-day side, after being dropped for the opening match against Australia in Melbourne. Collingwood has been a fixture of the ODI outfit for nearly a decade and has played at two World Cups, but despite being axed he appears almost certain to add a third to his resume, according to the captain Andrew Strauss.”It is a bit of a form thing,” Strauss said. “We feel that he’s been struggling with the bat for a while now. The best way for him to come back is to spend a bit of time out of the side and refresh his mind. He’s obviously a very important part of our one-day setup and will be going forward to the World Cup, but he’s not in great nick at the moment. It’s tough on him but it would have been tough on someone else to be left out as well.”Collingwood, 34, has retired from Test cricket, ending with a miserable series personally, as he made 83 runs in the five Tests at 13.83, but still an enormously satisfying one as his team won the Ashes away from home. He remains England’s Twenty20 captain but in the 50-over format, he faces a fight to win back his place, and it seems unlikely he’ll be in the mix until much later in the series.”It’s a seven-match series, so there are a lot of [selection] permutations,” Strauss said. “We’d like him to spend the next week or so just clearing his mind, and obviously doing some work in the nets, but primarily getting his mind clear and making sure he’s very clear on how he wants to play his game.”He’s not going to change his game, he’s going to play the same way. But sometimes you need a clear mind, and you don’t want to be thinking too much about the dismissals you’ve had recently, you just want to be able to go out and see the ball and hit the ball.”The form of Kevin Pietersen could make it even tougher for Collingwood to force his way back in, although it also provides him with some inspiration. Pietersen was dropped during the one-day series against Pakistan in September but in his first match back, proved he has plenty to offer the side, in compiling a classy 78 from 75 balls in the six-wicket loss at the MCG.”He showed his quality today,” Strauss said. “He’s able to clear the boundary, kept putting pressure on the opposition bowlers. He’s had a bit of a fallow period in one-day cricket but he showed his class today.”Pietersen’s efforts were not enough against an Australian side carried by a herculean 161 from Shane Watson, and it’s the second consecutive win for the hosts after they triumphed in the second Twenty20 in Melbourne on Friday. But there is plenty of time remaining for England to turn things around.”They’re one-nil up in the series now,” Strauss said, “but we’re still very confident that we can win this series.”

Should Laxman also be ruled out, Rohit Sharma too will join Badrinath in making a debut, presenting an experience chink South Africa will be keen to exploit

S Aga05-Feb-2010A month ago, India would have gone into this series as favourites. While they hammered Sri Lanka at home, South Africa were finding it hard to put away an English side that had stunned many by romping to victory in Durban. Then, South Africa squared the series at the Wanderers, and India lost Rahul Dravid to injury. With uncertainty prevailing over the availability of VVS Laxman – he was having his fitness assessed by the physio after a net session in the morning – India suddenly faced that prospect of going into a Test against the best pace attack in the world with a middle order shorn of two pivotal performers.As things stand, Murali Vijay and S Badrinath will certainly play, with three Test caps between them. Should Laxman also be ruled out, Rohit Sharma too will join Badrinath in making a debut. For Graeme Smith, still smarting after the squandered opportunities against England, it represents an experience-chink that South Africa will be more than happy to exploit. “Guys like Dravid and Laxman are quality players with a huge amount of experience,” he said. “They also bring a lot of calmness to the Indian team. It does put pressure on Gambhir and Sehwag up front to maybe take a little bit more responsibility. They no longer have a guy with 10,000 runs at No. 3, who’s really the rock of the line-up. The responsibility on Sehwag especially is crucial.”MS Dhoni was philosophical about the injury crisis, suggesting that one man’s absence was another’s chance to shine. “We’ll miss Rahul, but at the end of the day somebody needs to step up and do the work for the team,” he said. “International cricket is a challenge, but our openers have done well everywhere. No reason why we can’t do it over and over again. We’re a team that relies on a good start. After that, we go on to dominate.”The pitch was absolutely devoid of any grassy stubble, and both captains expected a typically Indian surface with the spinners becoming increasingly influential as the game wore on. In such batsmen-friendly conditions, reverse swing is perhaps the quick bowler’s most potent weapon, and despite a lush outfield, Dhoni expected both sets of bowlers to use it effectively on a dry and abrasive pitch.And though there was expected to be no dramatic bounce in the surface, Dhoni suggested that the bouncer would also have immense shock value. “In slow and low conditions, it’s difficult to leave the bouncer because you don’t know how high it will get,” he said. “It’s also not easy to play the pull.”India’s chances will hinge mainly on how well the two slow bowlers exploit the weaknesses that Graeme Swann found in the southern cape a couple of months ago. Harbhajan Singh is a certain starter, but there are two schools of thought on who will join him. Pragyan Ojha played the final two Tests against Sri Lanka, and the Dhaka game against Bangladesh, but when Sehwag led the side in Chittagong, it was Amit Mishra that got the nod.Either way, Smith is quietly confident that his batsmen can negotiate the threat. “You have to give credit to Graeme [Swann],” he said. “He bowled really well throughout the series. He’s a very different type of bowler to some of the Indian spinners. We were still able to post decent totals throughout that tour back home. I’m happy with the quality we’ve got. Each player has refined their game plans. Any time you come to India, you expect certain types of pitches, and you expect spin bowling.”The South Africans are certainly a more athletic outfit, though Dhoni insisted that India had a “safe” fielding team. “We’re a good catching side, that’s what really matters in Test cricket,” he said. “When it comes to saving singles, they’re definitely a better fielding side though.”Smith spoke of the difficulties involved in preparing for such an abbreviated tour, while Dhoni was just thankful to get some more five-day cricket. “We’re happy with what we’ve got,” he said, pointing out that the original schedule hadn’t involved any Tests.Neither man was unduly bothered by the Test rankings, and Dhoni laughed at the idea that this was a battle for supremacy between two young leaders who have done their reputations no harm since taking over the reins. “I’m a better keeper, and he’s a better opener,” he said with a laugh. “But it’s not about the captains. It’s a team sport.”India won easily enough in their only previous outing at this splendid new venue, squeezing the life out of Australia’s challenge in 2008, but the raw pace of the South African new-ball duo could pose some uncomfortable questions for a line-up that might experience more than a few debut butterflies. Smith doesn’t do mental disintegration the Steve Waugh way, but he couldn’t resist a neat little jab before heading to the nets and a final tune-up. “We’ve got everything to gain on this tour,” he said, “and India’s got everything to lose.”

Lancashire have said they are investigating the incident at Old Trafford

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jul-2025Lancashire have said they are investigating after an incident in which a fan attending the fourth Test between England and India at Old Trafford was asked to cover up the Pakistan shirt they were wearing.The fan, named in Pakistani media as Farooq Nazar, posted a video on social media documenting the request, initially from a member of the security staff at the ground, that he cover the shirt, a replica of Pakistan’s traditional green limited-overs kit.The security guard, who identifies himself as working for Lancashire, says: “I’ve been asked by control if you can cover that shirt up, please.” Later on, a steward can be heard saying the shirt “might be considered nationalistic”.Related

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In the video, Nazar can be seen becoming increasingly agitated amid repeated requests to cover up. Eventually, he is approached by a police officer, who asks to continue the conversation away from the stands. According to reports, Nazar then opted to leave the ground rather than hide his shirt.Political relations between India and Pakistan, frosty for years, have been at their most tense this year, following a brief military skirmish between the two countries in May. Those tensions have filtered into relations between the BCCI and PCB; the two sides have not played a bilateral series since 2012-13 and no Test cricket since 2007-08. Their participation in ICC events hosted by either country has also recently become problematic, with a neutral venue added in to stage their games as part of a hybrid solution to the issue.It is unclear on which day of the Test, which ended in a draw as India batted their way through five sessions, the incident took place but Lancashire confirmed they were looking into it.”We are aware of the incident referenced and are taking steps to understand the facts and context surrounding the matter fully,” a Lancashire spokesperson said.In recent years, Lancashire have openly spoken of building their links with India. The Hundred team based at the ground, Manchester Originals, are set to become 70% owned by Sanjiv Goenka’s RPSG group, which runs Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, while Lancashire’s chief executive, Daniel Gidney, has suggested giving the BCCI a stake in the 100-ball tournament.

Test contender dismissed for a second low score as pace bowlers dominated at the Gabba

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff04-Feb-2024Test aspirant Matt Renshaw failed for the second time in as many days as batters continued to struggle on a spicy pitch at the Gabba with Tasmania quick Gabe Bell claiming career-best figures and his first Sheffield Shield 10-wicket haul.Queensland went to stumps on day two at 114 for 8, leading the ladder-leading Tasmania by 177 after they were dismissed for 219 on Sunday with Mark Steketee claiming figures of 4 for 58 to help give the Bulls a first innings lead earlier in the day.Renshaw, who was the spare batter in Australia’s squad during the recent Test series against the West Indies, was out for 2 after hitting the same score in Queensland’s first innings.After playing the last of his 14 Tests in India last year, Renshaw is considered the next in line after being added to Australia’s squad ahead of Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft following David Warner’s red-ball retirement.Just like Saturday, Queensland’s top-order was rocked before Ben McDermott walked to the crease. Unlike the first innings, when McDermott smashed a brilliant unbeaten 146 to take Queensland to 282, Tasmania’s bowlers charged on with the demolition job of the middle-order.McDermott was out for 16, while Joe Burns, Michael Neser and Jimmy Peirson all fell for ducks.Bell backed up his outstanding spell of 4 for 40 on Saturday by destroying the Queensland second-innings with figures of 6 for 31 from 13 overs. It was Bell’s maiden 10-wicket haul in first-class cricket, topping his previous best match figures of 7 for 73.But Jack Clayton, who made a valuable 26 in the first innings, gave Queensland a chance of posting a defendable total. Like McDermott on Saturday, Clayton appeared to be batting on a different pitch as he smashed his way to an unbeaten 66 from 85 balls.Tailender Liam Guthrie hung around with Clayton at the end, surviving 30 balls and his only scoring shot was an edge through slips.Guthrie earlier claimed two wickets alongside Steketee’s four as Queensland’s attack never allowed Tasmania to get settled in their first innings. No Tasmania batter reached 40 as they were bowled out inside 60 overs.Queensland are searching for just their second win of the season as they sit last out of the six states. Meanwhile, Tasmania are trying to maintain their place on top of the ladder after losing just one of their six matches before the break for the BBL.

A round-up from another action-packed day in the WNCL where Ellyse Perry also returned to bowling

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Sep-2022Queensland stormed to back-to-back victories at North Sydney Oval, reaching their target with a massive 182 balls to spare in a dominant display from Grace Harris and Georgia Redmayne. New South Wales were in trouble early after being asked to bat and never recovered. Tahlia Wilson, who top scored two days ago, was beaten by an inswinger from Courtney Sippel and Alyssa Healy edged a big drive to slip. When Ash Gardner was caught behind off Nicola Hancock the home side were 3 for 36. Phoebe Litchfield and Erin Burns stitched together a 60-run stand, but the innings faded when Burns nicked Sippel. The last three wickets fell without a run being added as they were bundled out in the 42nd over. A brace of early wickets for Sammy-Jo Johnson, including Georgia Voll taken a slip for a duck following her 145 on Friday, briefly raised hopes but it became a chastening afternoon in the field as Harris and Redmayne flayed the attack to all corners. Harris brought up her fifty from just 33 balls and Redmayne hit 10 boundaries in her run-a-ball innings.Beth Mooney made her first century for Western Australia•Getty Images

Beth Mooney made her first major impression for Western Australia with an unbeaten 151 which provided the standout performance of their second victory over ACT in three days. The century came off 109 balls and she passed her next landmark in the final over during an innings that showcased her stamina with a huge amount of running. An opening stand of 99 with Chloe Piparo (44) set the platform then Maddy Darke (47) joined Mooney in a second-wicket partnership of 94. Mooney then dominated a 76-run stand for the fourth wicket alongside Amy Edgar. ACT’s chase started promisingly as Katie Mack and Rebecca Carter added 80 in 14 overs, but Alana King got among the wickets again by claiming both openers to follow her 5 for 12 on Friday. From there the visitors never threatened as Lilly Mills and Taneale Peschel also got among the wickets.Ellyse Perry returned to the bowling crease for the first time since March•Getty Images

The points were shared at Karen Rolton Oval when rain prevented a Super Over from taking place to split South Australia and Victoria. The chase had been reduced to 23 overs and Victoria were well on track with Sophie Molineux compiling a half-century, brought up with consecutive boundaries that put her team well ahead of the DLS. But, with steady drizzle falling, Jemma Barsby turned the game with three wickets. The final over started with Victoria needing nine to win and Tahlia McGrath kept them to eight despite Annabel Sutherland finding the boundary second ball. Earlier, South Australia had done well to reach 200 having been 8 for 116 before Barsby and Megan Schutt (33*) added 72 for the ninth wicket. Ellyse Perry had bowled for the first time since March after recovering from a stress fracture of her back and claimed a wicket, Emma de Broughe superbly caught in the covers by Molineux, during a three-over spell.

Team will be missing key players like van der Merwe and ten Doeschate who have not been released by their counties

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-2021At long last, Netherlands will finally play their first match of the ODI Super League, which will decide who goes through to the 2023 World Cup. They qualified for the 13-team competition in December 2017 and might already have been initiated but for the complications caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Now though the Dutch are ready to return to the top-flight as they take on Ireland over the course of three ODIs on June 2, 4 and 7 in Utrecht.

The first ever Netherlands squad to play the ODI super league

Pieter Seelaar (captain), Scott Edward, Max O’Dowd, Stephan Myburgh, Ben Cooper, Bas de Leede, Timm van der Gugten, Logan van Beek, Fred Klaassen, Philippe Boissevain, Vivian Kingma, Brandon Glover, Tobias Visée, Musa Nadeem Ahmad, Saqib Zulfiqar
In:Timm van der Gugten, Fred Klaassen, Brandon Glover, Musa Nadeem Ahmad
Out: Paul van Meekeren, Aryan Dutt

Allrounder Pieter Seelaar leads a 15-member contingent that includes professionals who have been active in the English circuit and youngsters who have done well in the domestic cricket, with Timm van der Gugten, Fred Klaassen and Brandon Glover all released for international duty. Shane Snater, Ryan ten Doeschate, Roelof van der Merwe and Colin Ackermann will remain with their counties. Fast bowler Paul van Meekeren, who was part of the last team that Netherlands picked to play 50-over cricket, against Scotland earlier this month, is also missing.”Our first appearance in the much talked about Super League is no doubt the most important page in the Dutch Cricket History book,” head coach Ryan Campbell said. “We hope to open this chapter with a really competitive series against our great friends and adversaries Ireland.”We welcome back Timm van der Gugten, Fred Klaassen and Brandon Glover from county duties and I expect them to form a potent fast-bowling combination with Logan van Beek and Vivian Kingma, whose form has been outstanding so far this season [10 wickets in his last four 50-over matches].”We will continue to back our best young talent and I’m extremely pleased to add Musa Nadeem to our long list of recent debutants. His form in the Topklasse [the local 50-over competition] has been outstanding as well as his hard work throughout our long hiatus from International Cricket due to Covid.”This will no doubt be an extremely tough series, but I know the players are ready to go and it should be an exciting week of cricket.”A press release from the Netherlands cricket board on Thursday also indicated that this will be the “first time ever that cricket can be watched live on Dutch television, including Dutch commentary.”

The tourists are yet to win on tour but the shortest format could bridge the gap between the sides

Mohammad Isam08-Mar-2020

Big picture

Bangladesh’s good batting form could be their way out of the rut in T20Is. Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das blew away Zimbabwe with two centuries each in the ODIs, also registering a record opening stand for Bangladesh – 292 in the third ODI.In the same match, Liton broke Tamim’s record for the highest individual score by a Bangladesh batsman slamming 176.But Bangladesh will have plenty of support for the in-form openers in the T20Is. Captain Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim will take care of the middle-order, their experience an ideal foil for the young Mohammad Naim and Afif Hossain. Allrounder Mohammad Saifuddin’s inclusion automatically adds balance to the line-up. They also have the option of continuing with legspinner Aminul Islam, as he can contribute with the bat.All of this will worry Zimbabwe, who were thrashed by an innings in the one-off Test before suffering a three-nil sweep in the ODIs. Their collective failure apart, there have been very few individual performances to celebrate, except Sikandar Raza’s two fifties, and the odd contribution from Wesley Madhevere and Donald Tiripano. They will count on the experience of Sean Williams, Craig Ervine and Brendan Taylor with the bat, and hope that newcomers like Charlton Tshuma and Carl Mumba fire with the ball. The nature of the shortest version should also help bridge the gap between the sides.

Form guide

Bangladesh LLLLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Zimbabwe WWLWW

In the spotlight

Tamim Iqbal blasted consecutive centuries in the last two ODIs so he will be confident to take on Zimbabwe again. Bangladesh will expect a rollicking start from him, ironically not too long after his strike-rate was called into question against Pakistan.Sikandar Raza was among the runs in the ODIs, scoring two fifties. He remains a key figure in the middle-order, although there could be a case for Zimbabwe to promote him up the order to give him the best chance to win them matches.

Team news

Mushfiqur Rahim will bolster the middle-order after missing Bangladesh’s last T20I series against Pakistan in January. Among the three spinners in the side, it could be a toss-up between legspinner Aminul Islam and left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed, with Mehidy Hasan a near certainty.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Liton Das (wk), 3 Mohammad Naim 4 Mushfiqur Rahim, 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Afif Hossain, 7 Mohammad Saifuddin, 8 Mahedi Hasan, 9 Aminul Islam/Nasum Ahmed, 10 Shafiul Islam, 11 Mustafizur RahmanZimbabwe will have a completely different look from the last time they played a T20I, but they are unlikely to make many changes from the side that played the third ODI against Bangladesh. Doubt over captain Chamu Chibhabha’s fitness remains but Craig Ervine has recovered.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Tinashe Kamunhukamwe 2 Regis Chakabva, 3 Craig Ervine, 4 Brendan Taylor (wk), 5 Sean Williams, 5 Sikandar Raza, 6 Wesley Madhevere 7 Richmond Mutumbami, 8 Tinotenda Mutombodzi, 9 Donald Tiripano, 10 Charlton Tshuma, 11 Carl Mumba

Pitch and conditions

The Shere Bangla National Stadium offers a decent T20 pitch these days. Clear weather is expected.

Stats and trivia

• Bangladesh have a 7-4 win/loss record against Zimbabwe in T20Is.
• Al-Amin Hossain needs two wickets to become Bangladesh’s second-highest wicket-taker in T20Is among pace bowlers.
• In Zimbabwe’s current squad, Sean Williams’ 821 runs is the highest in T20Is

Quotes

“.”.”.”.

Colin de Grandhomme, who was rested for the ODI series against Sri Lanka, also returns for the first three ODIs against India

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jan-2019Left-arm spin-bowling allrounder Mitchell Santner is set to play his first ODI in 10 months. He has recovered from knee surgery and has proved his fitness in the one-off T20I against Sri Lanka and in the Super Smash, New Zealand’s domestic T20 tournament. Wicketkeeper-batsman Tom Latham and seam-bowling allrounder Colin de Grandhomme, who were both rested for the ODIs against Sri Lanka, also return to the side for the first three ODIs against India.James Neesham, who was sidelined from the T20I against Sri Lanka with a hamstring strain, and legspinner Todd Astle, who is recovering from a knee injury, were not included in the squad. However, they could be considered for the last two ODIs on January 31 and February 3, after proving their fitness in the ongoing Super Smash.Santner has shown fine form in the T20 tournament, taking seven wickets in six matches at an economy rate of 6.77 in addition to providing Northern Districts the finishing kick with the bat. He has tested out his knee by securing hard-run twos and diving catches in the outfield.Doug Bracewell, who did not play a single ODI against Sri Lanka, was retained in the squad. New Zealand coach Gary Stead said he was impressed with the performances of Bracewell and Santner in the T20I in Auckland. While Bracewell struck 44 off 26 balls and took the wicket of Niroshan Dickwella in a Man-of-the-Match performance, Santner came away with 1 for 27 from three overs.”Our two main priorities have been to select and prepare a squad capable of winning what is shaping as a massive series against India, and gathering as much information as possible ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup in England and Wales,” Stead said. “Tom and Colin are experienced players in this format and will offer quality in their respective roles, and Mitch and Doug showed us what they are capable of during the T20 on Friday night.”Tim Seifert, who kept wicket against Sri Lanka, was left out. Latham will take over the gloves from him. The seam attack has a familiar look with the promise of Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry complementing the experience of Trent Boult and Tim Southee. Santner’s Northern Districts team-mate Ish Sodhi is the other spinner in the side.The five-match series begins with the first ODI in Napier on January 23.Squad for first three ODIs: Kane Williamson (capt), Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (wk), Colin Munro, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor