NEWS
Follow UsNew Zealand have handed Canterbury’s Cam Fletcher a maiden call-up for the first of the two Tests against South Africa, in which the Black Caps will be continued to be captained by Tom Latham in Kane Williamson’s absence. The squad also features a maiden Test call-up for Blair Tickner, and a recall for opener Hamish Rutherford, who last played Test cricket back in 2015.
While Rutherford finished as the second-highest run-getter in the 2020/21 Plunket Shield season, scoring 588 runs, Fletcher enjoyed a remarkable season, striking 473 runs at an average of 78.83. Also a wicket-keeper, Fletcher finds a place in the squad as back-up for incumbent Tom Blundell.
“Injuries and COVID have forced us to be flexible and I’m really excited with the squad picked,” head coach Gary Stead was quoted as saying in an official release.
“I’d like to congratulate Cam and Blair on making the squad and also acknowledge Hamish and Colin for fighting their way back into the Test set-up.
“Cam has been excellent across the three formats for Canterbury over the past couple of seasons, producing consistent and often match-winning performances for his team.
“This will be a great opportunity for him to come into the BLACKCAPS environment and soak up the experience as much as he can.”
The squad for the first Test does not feature both Trent Boult and Ajaz Patel. While Boult will miss the game due to the birth of his third child, Ajaz Patel has been ruled out due to a left-calf injury.
Stead confirmed that it was too early for Williamson to return, and hoped for the skipper to be fit in time for the white ball series against Netherlands.
“He (Williamson) was desperate to be fit for the series but with the amount of loading required for Test cricket, we had to make the tough call for him to sit it out and focus on returning for the white ball matches against Netherlands in March.
“Kane loves playing for the BLACKCAPS and especially in Test cricket so it was a particularly hard call. However the priority has to be trying to get the injury right and having him available long term.”
The first of the two Tests will be played in Christchurch from February 17.
New Zealand squad for first Test vs South Africa
Tom Latham (c), Tom Blundell (wk), Devon Conway, Colin de Grandhomme, Cam Fletcher (wk), Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Rachin Ravindra, Hamish Rutherford, Tim Southee, Blair Tickner, Neil Wagner, Will Young