New Zealand pacer to lead Blackcaps on Bangladesh tour in absence of Tom Latham

For the ODI series that will take place in Bangladesh this month, Lockie Ferguson has been selected captain of a New Zealand team that is second-string. After the England tour, many first-choice players received a break in order to recover in time for the World Cup in India. Kane Williamson, the team's regular ODI captain, was also not selected for the series as he continues to battle time constraints to be fit for the World Cup.

Wicketkeeper-batters Glenn Phillips and Devon Conway have been rested, all-rounders Daryl Mitchell and Mitchell Santner, pacers Matt Henry and Tim Southee, as well as replacement captain Tom Latham. James Neesham and Mark Chapman were not given selection consideration because they will both be present for the birth of their respective children. Trent Boult, a veteran pacer, has not received a break as of yet because he has only recently been reintegrated into the team.

The head coach of the New Zealand team, Gary Stead said that Lockie has played international cricket for quite some time now along with that the New Zealand pacer has also captained the New Zealand national team in a recently played T20 warm-up match against Worcestershire in the current tour of England.

"Lockie is an experienced bowler at the international level, and this is an opportunity for him to really lead from the front with not just the bowling group but the team as a whole. He stepped into the role for the warm-up matches in England and led a group with a lot of moving parts well,” head coach Gary Stead said.

Keeping players and staff fresh is important: Gary Stead

Managing a tightly packed schedule from now until our tour to Pakistan in April is crucial, with commitments like the World Cup and the beginning of the new World Test Championship cycle. Our top priority is ensuring that players and staff remain fresh and prepared at the appropriate moments. The three ODIs are scheduled to occur in Dhaka on September 21, 23, and 26, following which the teams will travel to India for the World Cup.

"Balancing workloads also provides opportunities and it's exciting to have different players in the group and learning in an environment like Bangladesh. It can be a challenging place to tour and getting used to different conditions quickly will be important over the next few months," the Head coach of New Zealand concluded.

New Zealand ODI squad vs Bangladesh: Lockie Ferguson (capt), Finn Allen, Tom Blundell, Trent Boult. Chad Bowes, Dane Cleaver, Dean Foxcroft, Kyle Jamieson, Cole McConchie, Adam Milne, Henry Nicholls, Rachin Ravindra, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner, Will Young