Black Caps ODI return for Williamson, Smith
- Dave Worsley
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Kane Williamson and Nathan Smith will return for the Black Caps upcoming ODI series against England, which gets underway at Bay Oval in Tauranga on Sunday October 26.
Both players were part of the ICC Champions Trophy Final loss to India in March, but were unavailable for the start of the home summer.
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Williamson has been recovering from a minor medical issue in the past month, while Smith has been rehabilitating an abdominal injury sustained during second Test against Zimbabwe in August.
The pair join an experienced 14-player squad for the three-match series, led by captain Mitchell Santner, with 23-year-old Zak Foulkes the only player included who wasn’t part of the Champions Trophy campaign.
Foulkes, Jacob Duffy, Kyle Jamieson and Matt Henry will form the same specialist pace-bowling unit from the T20 series against England, with Santner, Smith, Michael Bracewell, and Rachin Ravindra the all-rounders.
Williamson joins Devon Conway, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Ravindra, and Will Young as the specialist batters, with Tom Latham the wicket-keeper-batsman.
New Zealand coach Rob Walter said it was great to welcome Williamson and Smith back into the environment.
“Kane and Nathan have had to work hard to overcome their respective injuries and illness,” he said.
“We all know what Kane means to the Black Caps - to have his skill, experience and leadership back in the group is fantastic.
“Nathan’s still relatively new to his international career, but he’s impressed with his all-round skills and ability in the field.”
Walter said he was looking forward to working with the one-day squad for the first time.
“The ODI side has been very successful for a long period of time, as the current ICC ranking of number two suggests,” he said.
“We have an experienced core of players and as a team are very clear on how we want to play.
“This is very much the start of our journey to the ICC Cricket World Cup in South Africa in 2027 and I know the group are excited to get going in this series against a quality England side.”
The ODI squad assembles in Tauranga on Friday ahead of Sunday’s opening match, with game two in Hamilton on Wednesday and the third and final match in Wellington on Saturday November 1.
New Zealand are currently ranked second in the ICC ODI rankings, while England are ranked eighth.
Black Caps ODI squad v England
Mitchell Santner (c)
Michael Bracewell
Mark Chapman
Devon Conway
Jacob Duffy
Zak Foulkes
Matt Henry
Kyle Jamieson
Tom Latham (wk)
Daryl Mitchell
Rachin Ravindra
Nathan Smith
Kane Williamson
Will Young
Mohammad Abbas (ribs), Finn Allen (foot), Lockie Ferguson (hamstring), Adam Milne (ankle), Will O’Rourke (back), Glenn Phillips (groin), and Ben Sears (hamstring), were all unavailable due to injury.
Bkackcaps v England, ODI series
1st ODI - Sunday October 26, Bay Oval, Tauranga
2nd ODI - Wednesday October 29, Seddon Park, Hamilton
3rd ODI - Saturday November 1, Sky Stadium, Wellington