KEY POINTS:
Nathan McCullum and Otago teammate Bradley Scott are the new faces in the New Zealand cricket team to contest the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa next month.
The hard-hitting allrounders were today named in a squad of 15 for the tournament which signals the start of
a heavy international schedule for the Black Caps.
The side will be captained by Daniel Vettori, hardly a surprising move after Stephen Fleming relinquished the leadership of the one-day side after New Zealand's semifinal exit at the World Cup in the West Indies four months ago.
"This is the first opportunity for Daniel to captain the team abroad and we wanted to ensure he and the team were not looking to Stephen for leadership," head coach John Bracewell said.
"We also thought it would be a good opportunity for Stephen to remain with (English county) Nottinghamshire to build towards the longer forms of the game."
Ironically, Fleming hit 145 in Nottinghamshire's 350 against Somerset (83-1) at Trent Bridge last night (NZ time).
New Auckland wicketkeeper Gareth Hopkins has also been selected as back-up to Brendon McCullum though Bracewell indicated both could be on the field at the same time in South Africa.
McCullum's inventive hitting is well documented with Bracewell rating Hopkins as a useful foil with his ability to "get under the ball and hit it a long way.
"With their complementary skills we are not going to lose anything if both Brendon and Gareth play in the same match."
McCullum's brother Nathan, a lower order bat and off-break bowler, has been rewarded for a series of strong performances with the A team.
Scott, another who staked his claim through the A side, gets his opportunity at the expense of James Franklin, despite the Wellington allrounder being regarded as the longest hitter of the ball in the Black Caps set-up.
Franklin can be a liability at the bowling crease however, and has been instructed to concentrate on his left-arm technique ahead of a busy test schedule including matches against South Africa, Bangladesh and England.
Scott Styris has been named though he has to confirm his fitness before the team depart ahead of their first game against Kenya on September 12.
Styris was recalled early from English side Durham last month to recover from minor lower back, knee and calf problems and Bracewell was hopeful the Black Caps' player of the World Cup will be available for the tournament which ends on September 24.
In another feature of the line-up, free-flowing batsman and key fielder Lou Vincent also makes his international return after being invalided out of the Caribbean campaign with a broken arm.
Test specialist Chris Martin has been included as the second strike bowler alongside Shane Bond. Martin's lack of batting expertise has been seen as a liability in one-day cricket but he was a viable selection in Twenty20 because, said Bracewell: "Batting at the end of the order, it is unlikely his batting will be exposed."
Although the compressed 20-over-side format is seen as a "hit and giggle" experience to boost interest in the sport, New Zealand Cricket are clearly taking the World Cup seriously by sending a comprehensive management team.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) increased the number of support staff eligible to attend the tournament in a bid to advance participating nations' high performance programmes by giving specialist coaches experience in overseas environments.
The New Zealand staff comprise Lindsay Crocker (general manager), John Bracewell (head coach), Bob Carter (coach support and video analyst), Vaughn Johnson (bowling coach), Travis Wilson (fielding coach), Gary Hermannson (sports psychologist), Dayle Shackel (physiotherapist), Warren Frost (trainer) and John Durning (media manager).
Black Caps squad:
Daniel Vettori (captain), Shane Bond, Peter Fulton, Mark Gillespie, Gareth Hopkins, Chris Martin, Craig McMillan, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Jacob Oram, Jeetan Patel, Bradley Scott, Scott Styris (subject to fitness), Ross Taylor, Lou Vincent.
- NZPA