The WICB has agreed to release captain Jason Holder, Darren Bravo, Carlos Brathwaite, Devendra Bishoo, and Denesh Ramdin for the Caribbean Premier League, starting June 30

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2016The WICB has agreed to release captain Jason Holder, batsman Darren Bravo, allrounder Carlos Brathwaite, legspinner Devendra Bishoo, and wicketkeeper-batsman Denesh Ramdin for the Caribbean Premier League, starting June 30, which is four days after the tri-series final in Barbados. They can remain with their franchises until July 11, ten days before West Indies’ first Test against India in Antigua.WICB announced a confirmation of the India tour last December, but they released the full itinerary only last week. A possible clash of dates with the CPL had been one of the main reasons for the delay.According to the WICB policy, the head coach and the national selectors had final say in determining whether their players would be free to participate in the CPL. It is understood that head coach Phil Simmons had no objections with his men playing the tournament’s initial stages, provided they returned in time to prepare for the four Tests against India, which are the only Tests in West Indies’ home season.Damien O’Donohoe, the CPL chief executive, welcomed the WICB’s decision and said that the players’ availability would would be a “tremendous boost”.”Our thanks to the West Indies Cricket Board, coach and chairman of selection committee for facilitating the release of the players for the opening weeks of the CPL,” he said. “It’s a tremendous boost for the competition and I have no doubt that each of the players will be motivated to add great value to their squads.”Ramdin, who is part of the onging tri-series against South Africa and Australia, was announced as the replacement for injured fast bowler Fidel Edwards, for St Lucia Zouks. Edwards had suffered a fractured ankle in the lead up to the final day of Hampshire’s County Championship match against Yorkshire at Headingley in April.

After missing most of the 2015-16 season due to injury, Vernon Philander is looking to reinvent himself as a Test allrounder as he seeks to regain his place in the South African team

Firdose Moonda19-May-20163:42

Cullinan: Philander could be an ideal No. 7

Vernon Philander is looking to reinvent himself as a Test allrounder as he seeks to regain his place in the South Africa team. Philander sat out most of the 2015-16 summer after tearing ankle ligaments during the warm-ups before the Bangalore Test in November. The injury kept him out of seven of the eight Tests in the season and all the limited-overs fixtures, and saw him lose ground to a younger crop, including Kagiso Rabada. But Philander is hopeful he can still bring something to the national side.”What I do is unique: I do what I do. When it comes to the batting side of things, that’s a bonus as well,” Philander said at a sponsorship announcement on Wednesday. “We are all different types of bowlers in that set-up. It’s all about combinations at the end of the day. I’ve played a couple of crucial innings towards the back end. Batting at No.8 is just unique. If you have a guy who can bat at 8, that makes a difference. So yes, my all-round ability is something, I would like to see that still being part of the fold. That’s what I bring to the party.”Not only was Philander the fastest South African to 100 Test wickets but he has also scored four fifties in 32 Tests. With South Africa’s Test slide from No.1 to No.6 in the space of five months, it’s easy to see why they might want to recall someone with Philander’s record. However, with Dale Steyn back in the Test frame, Philander will need to replace one of the other pacers, such as Kyle Abbott. South Africa are still searching for an allrounder and they last used Chris Morris in the role but Philander hopes he can claim that spot despite a lack of recent game time.Since his injury, Philander has played only two first-class matches for his franchise but believes he has recovered well enough to be recalled. “The first match was touch-and-go from the mental side of things. The second one was much better,” he said. “I have been working hard in the gym. I am getting tired of the gym actually. The body is feeling good and I am looking forward to the season.”In the two matches, Philander bowled 33 overs and took five wickets at an economy of 2.18, showing signs of his usual miserly self. He also scored 64 runs in three innings. Philander had secured a short county stint, but failed to get a deal and was also not selected for South Africa’s ODI tri-series in the Caribbean next month. Instead, he hopes he will be picked for the A side and then the Test side to play two matches against New Zealand in August.”I know there is an A side tour going to Zimbabwe and I will probably want to play those four-day games before the New Zealand series, if selected. I am probably looking to get ready for that.”

BCB president Nazmul Hassan has said that the board is going to investigate allegations of unfair practices during this season’s Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League

Mohammad Isam11-Jun-2016BCB president Nazmul Hassan has said that the board is going to investigate allegations of unfair practices during this season’s Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League.Umpiring standards have been repeatedly questioned by all quarters during this year’s league. At a crucial stage in the Abahani Limited-Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club match, umpire Rezwan Parvez gave Taskin Ahmed not out although he was at least 12 inches outside the crease when Farhad Reza broke the stumps. Abahani needed 10 runs off three balls before that incident and went on to win the match. In the Abahani-Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi match, a questionable no-ball call was not made despite the full-toss going above the batsman’s waist in the last over of the chase.In the Kalabagan Krira Chakra-Legends of Rupganj match, Rupganj were not awarded six runs despite an overthrow following the completion of two runs. Rupganj also alleged that the umpires called off that game soon after rain stopped and did not wait too long for the Fatullah ground to dry, with Kalabagan winning through the D/L method. Two days later, the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis, the BCB standing committee that runs the tournament, suspended Rupganj captain Mosharraf Hossain and wicketkeeper Mohammad Mithun for arguing with the umpires during the same game.Allegations of favouritism were also leveled towards the CCDM, after Gazi Group Cricketers’ last-round match against Victoria Sporting Club was deferred by a day. The CCDM, citing “unavoidable circumstances”, broke the pattern in which three matches were held on every match day.Gazi Group were on ten points before that match while Mohammedan Sporting Club, Kalabagan Krira Chakra and Prime Bank Cricket Club were on 12 points each. The one-day delay gave Gazi Group the advantage of knowing the equation to qualify to the Super League, but they ultimately lost to Victoria and failed to make it to the next phase. Kalabagan Krira Chakra lodged an official complaint by saying that the CCDM favoured Gazi Group because the club’s owner Gazi Golam Murtoza is also the chairman of CCDM.BCB chief Hassan said that he will ask the CCDM to furnish an answer about the change in the match date as well as the wet pitch in BKSP. He announced that such problems would not arise in the Super League phase.”We will officially ask for what happened with the Gazi match timing change,” Hassan said. “They will have to provide an answer. But the result wasn’t in their favour. No team went into the Super League with the benefit from umpires. Kalabagan Krira Chakra’s [Nazmul Karim] Tinku is the head of the umpiring committee but his team didn’t go to the Super League.”I will take action if there’s a specific instance where a certain team benefited by an umpiring decision. But the Super League is yet to start so we are still in discussion to ensure these things aren’t repeated. These are all abnormal incidents. I have no doubt that these are motivated. Otherwise why would they complain to the ICC that cricket in Bangladesh is getting destroyed, and that matches are fixed here? They are trying hard to suspend Bangladesh from international cricket, it seems.”Even though Hassan didn’t specify who he was referring to as “they”, the ICC denied receiving any complaint regarding the Dhaka Premier League, saying that it doesn’t have the jurisdiction to interfere in domestic matters of a member country.Hassan said that the Abahani run-out incident had no bearing on the result of the game, because Mosaddek Hossain struck Farhad for a six and a four off the next two balls. He also said that Abahani don’t get the support of the umpires.”The second one is the one where the wicket was wet, so we will investigate that game,” he said. “Allegations have come about umpiring in Abahani matches. Since it went up to the ICC with photos being sent to them, we need to take it seriously. I saw that a run-out was not given. But there was no relation between that run-out and the result. It would have been seven [sic] wickets instead of six [sic].”They won with a six and four off the last two balls. Abahani in fact lost two games off the last ball. So if they got support of the umpires, they wouldn’t have lost those matches. They were on the brink of relegation two seasons ago.”

Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf has warned the PCB to stop hosting its “home” series in the UAE or it will damage Pakistan cricket

PTI03-Aug-2016Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf has warned the PCB to stop hosting its “home” series in the UAE or it will damage Pakistan cricket.”Playing on the flat and low-bounce pitches of Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai has already affected our cricket and our players, and if we don’t stop organising our series there it will eventually damage our cricket,” Yousuf told PTI.He said that playing in the UAE for the last six or seven years had an adverse effect on the skills and technique of Pakistan batsmen. “If it is all about creating records, fine. But it is not helping our cricket in anyway and we will stop producing players capable of playing on any surface in a few years’ time if we continue playing our home series in UAE.”Yousuf said that it was a point of concern that against Australia in two Tests in the UAE in 2014-15, Pakistan batsmen had scored nine centuries while in the first two Tests in England there was only one century.”And let us be straight, so far we have not encountered any typical English pitch in the ongoing series,” he said.He backed any move by the PCB to try to organise its home series at some other neutral venue. “Sri Lanka or Bangladesh are far better options as conditions there are more suited for cricket,” he said.The PCB has been forced to organise its home series at neutral venues since the attack by gunmen on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in March 2009.

Ben Stokes will continue his rehabilitation from a calf tear that kept him out of England’s last two Tests against Pakistan by appearing for Durham on NatWest T20 Blast Finals Day

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Aug-2016Ben Stokes will continue his rehabilitation from a calf tear that kept him out of England’s last two Tests against Pakistan by appearing for Durham on NatWest T20 Blast Finals Day. Stokes is one of a number of England players made available for their counties this week in the knockout stages of the white-ball competitions.Stokes, who has been cleared to bat and bowl, is set to come up against England team-mates Joe Root, Gary Ballance and Jonny Bairstow in the second Blast semi-final between Durham and Yorkshire on Saturday. Durham will also have centrally contracted pace bowler Mark Wood at their disposal.Wood and Stokes are hopeful of being involved in England’s limited-overs series against Pakistan, after a summer disrupted by injuries. Wood has twice undergone surgery on his ankle but bowled with impressive pace to help Durham beat Gloucestershire at Bristol and book a place at Finals Day; Stokes also had an operation, on a knee injury suffered during the Sri Lanka Test series, and then hurt his calf playing against Pakistan at Old Trafford.England have allowed seven of the players who were involved in England’s defeat at The Oval to turn out in the Blast and Royal London Cup. Stuart Broad is set to play his first white-ball game for Nottinghamshire in almost a year (he was selected for a Blast game in July but it was abandoned without a ball bowled), with Alex Hales also available for Finals Day, when they will play Northamptonshire.Yorkshire’s trio of Root, Ballance and Bairstow are also in line to play the Royal London Cup quarter-final at Kent on Thursday. Moeen Ali has been released for Worcestershire’s quarter-final trip to Taunton and Chris Woakes will be part of Warwickshire’s squad for the visit of Essex on Wednesday.The only member of the Test side that won’t be in the reckoning for his county is the captain, Alastair Cook, who has been requested to take a break by the England management.

A round-up of all the Group A fixtures from the first round of the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy matches on October 9, 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Oct-2016Madhya Pradesh secured a bonus-point victory on the back of an innings and 64-run thrashing of Uttar Pradesh in Hyderabad. UP, asked to follow-on after being bowled out for 176, slumped to 225 all out on the final day. Chandrakant Sakhure, the right-arm medium pacer, playing in only his third first-class game, finished with career-best figures of 6 for 40. MP’s 465 in the first innings was built around Harpreet Singh’s unbeaten 216. UP captain Suresh Raina, recovering from fever, didn’t bat in both innings.A double century from Manpreet Juneja helped Gujarat pull off a heist and pocket three points, courtesy a first-innings lead, despite conceding 544 against Baroda in Jaipur. Gujarat began the day needing 267 runs with six wickets in hand, to take a lead. The task appeared tougher when they lost the services of Rujul Bhatt, who retired hurt on 58. But Juneja found able support from Axar Patel, the left-arm-spinning allrounder, who made an unbeaten 109 as Gujarat went past Baroda’s score without losing a wicket on the final day.Railways’ push for an outright win was thwarted by Uday Kaul as Punjab salvaged a point after conceding a first-innings lead at Palam grounds in New Delhi. Set a target of 362, Punjab were 170 for 3 when play ended, with Kaul (61 not out) and Mandeep Singh (41 not out) having forged an unbroken 86-run fourth-wicket stand. Railways, who resumed on 180 for 2, lost five wickets for the addition of 65 runs before the declaration. Shivakant Shukla, who made 128 in the first innings, made 97 in the second dig. Punjab captain Yuvraj Singh had a disappointing outing, making 9 and 17 in his two outings.

Dimuth Karunaratne and Lahiru Thirimanne have been named in the Sri Lanka A squad for the first two four-day games at home against West Indies A

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Sep-2016Sri Lanka batsman Dimuth Karunaratne has been named captain of the A team for the first two four-day games at home against West Indies A. Lahiru Thirimanne, who was omitted for the Tests as well as limited-overs series against Australia, found a place in the 15-member squad.Thirimanne has not played competitive cricket since the Lord’s Test in June. Karunaratne, meanwhile, is coming off an underwhelming Test series: he had managed only 41 runs, including five single-digit scores, at 6.83 in six innings against Australia. Strong performances for the A team could help the two batsmen bolster their prospects at the senior level.Left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan, who took match figures of 7 for 107 in the first Test against Australia in Pellekele, the best by a chinaman bowler on Test debut, was another prominent name in the A squad. Sandakan’s match returns were also the third-best by a Sri Lanka bowler on debut.Batsman Avishka Fernando and seamer Lahiru Kumara, who recently broke into the ODI squad, and Under-19 captain Charith Asalanka, who led them to a whitewash against England Under-19 last month, were also named in the squad. Fernando and Kumara are also Under-19 graduates.Kusal Perera, named vice-captain, Niroshan Dickwella, and Asela Gunaratne were the other international names in the squad. The first of three four-day matches gets underway at the R Premadasa Stadium on October 4.Sri Lanka A squad: Dimuth Karunaratne (capt.), Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Perera (vice-capt.), Roshen Silva, Charith Asalanka, Niroshan Dickwella, Asela Gunaratne, Avishka Fernando, Anuk Fernando, Vimukthi Perera, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lakshan Sandakan, Asitha Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Madushanka

Karun Nair has been part of India’s Test dressing room before, but a debut seems ever closer with his inclusion as one of only six batsmen in the squad to take on England; he says he is prepared to bat anywhere when his turn comes

Shashank Kishore02-Nov-2016In July, six people drowned and a few others were reported missing when a boat with more than a hundred people on board capsized in a river in Kerala. Karun Nair was on that boat, taking part in a temple festival with his family as thanksgiving for making his India debut. Nair was one of the survivors – he had to swim some distance before being rescued by a group of locals.The incident came in the middle of a mixed few months in Nair’s life. He had just played for India for the first time, during their ODI tour of Zimbabwe, his selection a reward for his consistency both in first-class cricket – he averaged more than 50 after three seasons – and the IPL. He hadn’t really grabbed the chance, scoring only 46 in two innings while opening the batting in fairly low-pressure chases. The lack of form continued through India A’s tour of Australia, but he was back in form at the start of the 2016-17 domestic season, when he was also handed the captaincy of the Karnataka side for the first time.Now, he is part of India’s Test squad for the first two Tests against England. He has been part of the squad before, but this time he is one of only six specialist batsmen included.”I was disappointed with the way my ODI debut series panned out. I don’t think I lived up to the standards I set myself,” Nair tells ESPNcricinfo. “Probably I didn’t grab my chances. But after the tour I decided to put that behind me and look forward to the new season. I didn’t want to sit and keep hoping, but I knew my chances will come sooner than later if I keep scoring runs.”Rohit Sharma’s quadriceps injury means, Nair – who has scores of 74, 54*, 53 and 145 in his first four innings of the new Ranji Trophy season – could get his Test cap in Rajkot on November 9 if India play six specialist batsmen. With Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane entrenched at Nos. 3, 4 and 5, Nair could be in line for the No. 6 slot.”I’m not too fussy about batting positions, honestly,” Nair says. “I’ve been playing up the order in the IPL, so in white-ball cricket, I’ve enjoyed batting up the order. I started off as an opener for my state side in my junior-cricket days and then settled at No. 4. In Zimbabwe, I was asked if I would be ready to open. As a debutant, you can’t have preferences, and it was a challenge I readily accepted.”Having been on the fringes of the Test team, you do think of all this while sitting outside, but eventually it’s about being confident in your abilities and trusting the technique that has got you to this level.”It hasn’t always been the case. A few years ago, Nair was full of self-doubt, which stemmed not from an inability to score runs but an inability to convert starts. Till he was 19, he hadn’t scored a century at any age-group level.”I had a mental block while growing up, but that also made me learn you don’t throw away starts,” Nair says. “Not being able to convert starts made me tougher. I became more attacking. I used to make 60s and 70s and get out. When I started to attack and bat more freely, I realised the 30-40 runs came quite easily. That change in mindset made a big difference. Now, I tend to play to the situation even though I believe I’m an attacking batsman.”The vote of confidence about Nair’s technique came from the India A coach Rahul Dravid, whom he sought out ahead of the home series against South Africa A in September 2015.”Once I got the confidence from him, all my self-doubts vanished,” Nair says. “I was batting within myself initially. I asked him about the areas I needed to work on. It felt reassuring to hear him tell me there was nothing wrong.”Someone like him saying that was of real value, so I’ve never had any batting conversations with him since. He has been very supportive, backed me in pressure situations and given me the opportunity to express myself. At that stage, he had more confidence in me than I did. That sort of gives you a boost from within.”There were signs of Nair having erased that self-doubt when he made a match-saving fourth-innings century in the first unofficial Test. That earned him a maiden call-up to India’s squad, for the third Test in Sri Lanka.Dravid, who has worked closely with Nair while coaching or mentoring India A, Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils, picks out his hunger and attitude as qualities that have helped him transition to the next level.”Karun is still a work in progress, but obviously his skills and temperament have got him to this stage,” Dravid says. “He picks lengths early; his instincts as a batsman are solid now.”So where did he see Nair evolve into the batsman he is today?”I think the role change at Delhi Daredevils brought out the best in him,” Dravid says. “At Rajasthan Royals, he was batting behind the main guys like Shane Watson, Steven Smith and Ajinkya Rahane. At Delhi, we gave youngsters responsibility to drive the innings, and let seniors lower down the order handle the slightly challenging situations. He showed his ability to adapt there.”Having been part of the Test squad on two occasions without getting a look-in, Nair says the experience was an eye-opener in terms of what he needed to do to remain in those environs, and he soaked in the feeling of being in the dressing room and chatting with Kohli and the support staff.”It was a great feeling being around legends and future legends,” Nair says. “It felt amazing when they spoke of your domestic performances. That gave me a sense of belonging. Being a part of the dressing room for the first time, I still can’t describe. The Test cap is special and I’ve seen the seniors treasure it. When my chance comes, I’ll be ready.”

James Sutherland, Cricket Australia’s chief executive said that Steven Smith’s team could not blame their preparation for the poor results achieved so far this summer

Daniel Brettig in Hobart13-Nov-2016James Sutherland, Cricket Australia’s chief executive, has claimed the national team had near identical preparation to South Africa despite the facts telling a rather different story.As the hosts came to terms with another disastrous batting display on day one of the Hobart Test, Sutherland said that Steven Smith’s team could not blame their preparation for the poor results achieved so far this summer, following on from a 5-0 ODI defeat in South Africa and a 3-0 away pasting at the hands of Sri Lanka before that.”I’ve heard a little bit of commentary around preparation and I think it’s interesting. The first thing is that every summer is a little bit different,” Sutherland said on ABC Radio. “If we cast our minds forward to next year there will be more opportunities for Shield cricket, that’s a different schedule again because the season will start later.”But also that criticism around the preparation, I don’t think the preparation is anything that Australian cricket can complain about because South Africa have had the same schedule in terms of preparation as we have. We have both played each other in one-day matches in October, came through here, had various forms of long-form or other preparatory matches.”They played a game in Adelaide under lights as Shield cricket played under lights. So if you draw that comparison the team we are playing against hasn’t had any different preparation. So yes, ideally you might have a different preparation but the fact of the matter is you can’t.”In contradiction of Sutherland’s words, Australia’s players did not get the chance to play even a single match with a red ball in between the Sri Lanka and South Africa Test series. By contrast, many of South Africa’s players – those not taking part in the ODIs at home – were able to play first-class cricket during this period, and then had two warm-up matches in contrast to the one (pink ball) Shield game played before the Perth Test.Sutherland noted that there was a wider effort currently being undertaken at ICC level to reduce the amount of international cricket played while adding the context of league structures across each format. Such a move would in turn allow more room for domestic schedules to breathe.”The reality is the future tours program requires us to play a certain amount of cricket at home and whatever we play at home we’ve got to reciprocate away,” he said. “So the complexity around that is greater because most countries share the same season as us. So we have to find ourselves playing matches like we did this year in October against South Africa. We couldn’t play them earlier because that’s not their season, their season is October. We are having them and then Pakistan later in our peak season.”From that perspective the schedule is difficult and at ICC level it’s something we’re working very hard on to try and get more structure to refine the way in which international cricket is played and to be honest ultimately play less international cricket so that it’s more valuable and is not these random series that crop up all the time. That we have context through some sort of a league structure. The hope is there will be less international cricket which allows gaps in preparation but also ideally for international cricket to be more valuable and precious.”Responding to criticism directed at the captain Steven Smith, Sutherland said that while all were impatient for immediate success, there was a strong belief within CA that Smith was the right man for the job – as evidenced by his steely innings while the rest fell around him on day one at Bellerive Oval.”We’re certainly very conscious of the fact that Steve has come into the role much younger…than any of his four or five predecessors,” Sutherland said. “I had a look the other day – you go back to Border, Taylor, Waugh, Ponting, Clarke…between 29 and 34 I think they came into the captaincy of the Australian team. Steve was 26. All of them came in being world-class batsmen. But I don’t think if you look back in history, certainly in my time [as CEO], none of them have made an easy or smooth transition into the job.”It’s a big step up and it’s a real challenge and even more so if you don’t have the players around you that are performing as well as they might or could or whatever. So that added challenge is there. But we have a very high regard for Steve Smith as a person, as a leader, and obviously as a cricketer and we think that with his support and as he builds the team around him and they perform he’s got a very bright future as a leader for a long time.”

New Zealand have opted for experience in the ODIs against Bangladesh, recalling Neil Broom and Luke Ronchi, with the former back after a long hiatus

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Dec-2016Batsman Neil Broom, who last played an ODI in March 2010, has been recalled to the New Zealand squad for the upcoming three-match series against Bangladesh, which starts from December 26.Wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi was also recalled in place of BJ Watling, who was excluded from the side. Two other players who were part of the squad for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy, batsman Henry Nicholls and legspinner Todd Astle, were also left out.

NZ ODI squad

Kane Williamson (capt), Trent Boult, Neil Broom, Lockie Ferguson, Colin de Grandhomme, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Colin Munro, James Neesham, Luke Ronchi, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee
In: Neil Broom, Luke Ronchi
Out: BJ Watling, Todd Astle, Henry Nicholls

Broom had signed a two-year contract with Derbyshire in 2015, but chose to forego the second year to give himself another chance with New Zealand. The right-hand batsman is expected to slot in at No. 4 in place of Ross Taylor, who was ruled out after recently undergoing surgery on his left eye.”I appreciate everything Derbyshire have done for me and have really enjoyed my time with the club,” Broom said. “It was a tough call at the time. I had signed with Derbyshire for two years and I would’ve liked to see out the contract, but to get an international recall just outweighs it, so it was a pretty easy decision.”Broom played 22 ODIs between January 2009 and March 2010, scoring 333 runs at an average of 17.22. He has also played 10 T20Is, with the last one against Sri Lanka in November 2013.”When I first came in, I was overawed by everything and just really really wanted to do well and I put too much pressure on myself, so this time I’m not going to do that,” Broom said. “I tell myself this might be my last game every time I go out there. It’s probably something they tell you not to do, but you’ve got to enjoy every moment of it and try and have a couple of good years with the team.”Broom is among the top run-getters in the 2016-17 Plunket Shield first-class tournament, having scored 354 runs in seven innings at an average of 59. In 2015-16, he topped the run charts in the List A competition, the Ford Trophy, scoring 508 runs in nine matches with three centuries and two fifties.Ronchi, too, was rewarded for recent form. After a poor tour of India, and a modest run since early 2015, Ronchi was left out for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy. Turning out for Wellington in the Plunket Shield, he scored a century and, on Thursday, struck an unbeaten 58 in a Super Smash match against Canterbury, which Wellington eventually lost in the one-over eliminator.Watling had scored 31 runs in the series against Australia, which New Zealand lost 3-0, while Nicholls played only one match, scoring 3. Astle was not given a game.New Zealand’s chairman of selectors Gavin Larsen acknowledged that Ronchi was seen as the best ODI wicketkeeper in the country and both players added value to the side with their experience.”With 12 years of domestic cricket under his belt and having previously spent time in the BlackCaps squad, Neil brings a lot of experience to the group,” Larsen said. “Neil was the top run-scorer in the Ford Trophy competition last year, with an average of 84.66. He has an impressive strike-rate and obviously fills the number four role with Ross out injured.”It’s been pleasing to see Luke scoring runs for Wellington again and he returns as one of the most experienced members of the squad. At this stage we see him as the best ODI gloveman in the country and the leadership he brings to the group is also immensely valuable.”The team will convene for a camp on December 23 and 24, with the first match scheduled for Boxing Day in Christchurch. The second and third ODIs will be played on December 29 and 31 in Nelson. The ODIs will be followed by three T20Is and two Tests.