Cricket: Harris, Tuffey return via NZ A tour

Veteran allrounder Chris Harris is to make his return to international cricket on New Zealand A's tour of Sri Lanka in September.

Harris, who spent a large chunk of last summer on the sidelines after suffering a serious shoulder injury, was today named in a 14-strong squad for the tour.

Other notable inclusions include tall fast-medium bowler Daryl Tuffey, dropped from the New Zealand team last season, promising batsman Jesse Ryder and Canterbury batsman Peter Fulton, who will captain the team.

Selection panel manager Sir Richard Hadlee said the selectors wanted to see how Harris went in Sri Lanka before considering him for the full national side's one-day commitments in South Africa in October.

Similarly, they wanted to view Tuffey is action as he strives to recover from a poor 2004-5 season.

Hadlee said the team had been chosen to help the selectors gain a better understanding of the new one-day international rules and to explore the use of a substitute player.

"We have a very full programme of ODIs coming up and we need to explore strategies for maximising our performance under the new rules.

"We have selected James Franklin as an allrounder as we believe allrounders will have an increased role under the new rules.

"(Fast bowler) Chris Martin has been selected to explore the opportunity to use a specialist as the substitute, which could see him bowl but not have to bat in a one-day match.

The New Zealand A team will be coached by Mark O'Donnell and Vaughn Johnson, with Hadlee the manager.

- NZPA