 | « Back to article | Print this article |
New Zealand's cricket selectors took a gamble on injury-prone Jacob Oram being fully fit for June's Twenty20 World Cup in England when they named their squad Tuesday.
Oram did not take part in the recent three-Test series against India because of an Achilles injury, which has restricted his involvement at international level.
Two notable omissions from the 15-strong squad were one-day specialists Grant Elliott and Tim Southee, who are on the list of replacement or cover players.
"In selecting the side we have been particularly conscious of selecting players in the middle and lower order who are boundary hitters," New Zealand Cricket head of selectors Glenn Turner said in a statement.
"We have retained aggressive but more orthodox batsmen in the top order and we're looking for that extra aggression lower down the order as well."
All-rounder Brendon Diamanti, who made his debut in a one-day international against Australia in February, is in the squad.
"Brendon Diamanti is another whose skills fit the short game format," Turner added. "He's a good striker of the ball an excellent fielder, and has good skills with the ball."
Scott Styris also returns to the team after he broke his thumb playing against West Indies last December. Styris played a one-day match against India last month as a late replacement for the injured Ewen Thompson.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Peter McGlashan has also been included along with all-rounder James Franklin and swing bowler Kyle Mills. All three missed the Twenty20 matches against India.
