Patel and Neesham find place in New Zealand squad for first Test
Patel and Neesham find place in New Zealand squad for first Test
Patel found himself back in the Test setup after a hiatus of four years when he played against India in the second and third Test last year. Although it is unlikely that the hosts would play two spinners, selector Gavin Larsen feels that the offie would offer good balance with Mitchell Santner, the left-arm spinner in the side. Larsen also revealed that Patel's natural angle would be of good use against the South African left-handers.
"Jeetan brings the ability to spin the ball away from the left-handers, which complements our other spinner in Mitchell Santner nicely. He brings a huge amount of experience to the team and gives us the balance of having two front-line spin options."
Neesham, who last featured in the final Test against India in Indore, scored a fine 71 before making way for Colin de Grandhomme ahead of their home season. Neesham also hit an unbeaten 71 in the second One-day International (ODI) of the ongoing series against South Africa. "Jimmy has impressed so far this summer and we've seen improvement in his game," Larsen said. "He gives us another option and is also very familiar with the conditions at University of Otago Oval."
While Matt Henry and Dean Brownlie have been left out of the squad, Neil Wagner has recovered in time from his finger injury that he picked up last month. Wagner, who is New Zealand's highest wicket-taker in Tests since the start of 2016, played club cricket last weekend and showed no signs of discomfort.
"Having Neil back and available is fantastic news for us. Neil's been our leading wicket-taker in recent times and is a key player for us," Larsen said. "He's worked extremely hard to get himself ready for the series and we expect him to be fit and ready to go come the first Test."
BJ Watling was out with a knee niggle for three weeks before returning to score 42 and 96 in last week's Plunket Shield match against Otago.
New Zealand play their first Test in Dunedin before heading to Wellington and Hamilton for the next two Tests.
New Zealand squad: Kane Williamson (c), Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Tom Latham, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Jeetan Patel, Jeet Raval, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling
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