KEY POINTS:
Peter Fulton's absence from the New Zealand team has been short - the tall Cantabrian was recalled yesterday for the three-game ODI series against Bangladesh starting at Eden Park on Boxing Day.
Fulton, who returned early from the tour of South Africa with a knee injury, hit a century for Canterbury in his first game back against Otago and the selectors have wasted no time getting him back.
He replaces Lou Vincent, who has had a poor run of scores since his World Cup hundred against Canada in April. Vincent's dropping was flagged on Thursday when he was omitted for the final Chappell-Hadlee Trophy match in Hobart. Had he played and made runs he could have saved his skin and forced a selectorial rethink. He didn't get the chance.
Instead the selectors decided 94 runs in his last nine international innings was enough.
"Peter has shown good form in the State championship and has proven in the past he can translate a high standard of performance at domestic level to the international game," New Zealand coach and selector John Bracewell said of Fulton yesterday.
Two other players, backup wicketkeeper Gareth Hopkins and fast-medium Michael Mason, have dropped out of the squad, which has been reduced to 12.
Neither is a surprise. Hopkins is not needed in the trimmed squad. Mason didn't get a chance in Australia and the selectors clearly rate the Central Districts man as first cab off the fast bowling ranks.
The 12 will stay intact for all three games, which include matches at Napier on December 28 and Queenstown on New Year's Eve.
The interesting point of the selection is where Fulton will bat, with No 3 the logical spot.
The likely opening combination in at least the first ODI will be Brendon McCullum and Jamie How, who failed in both the Sydney and Hobart ODIs this week.
New Zealand have a short break before reuniting on Christmas Eve.
NEW ZEALAND SQUAD
Daniel Vettori (captain), Brendon McCullum, Jamie How, Peter Fulton, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Mathew Sinclair, Jacob Oram, Kyle Mills, Mark Gillespie, Chris Martin, Jeetan Patel.
