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New Zealand are defending their World Test Championship title but face an uphill battle to make next year’s final having dropped home Tests against Bangladesh and South Africa in the recent season.
Fletcher, who was called up for the series against South Africa earlier this year, will be the back-up wicketkeeper behind Tom Blundell.
Stead added that player welfare will continue to be a priority during what will be a busy period overseas for New Zealand with a host of white-ball matches after the England Tests. No player or member of support staff will be involved in all the series which also involve facing Ireland, Scotland, Netherlands and West Indies through to August although there will also be a focus on preparing for the T20 World Cup in Australia.
“Last season I thought we juggled our resources really well to ensure the welfare of our people was prioritised, and we’ll be looking to do that again with the white-ball cricket in July and August,” Stead said. “That means no players or staff will stay with the side for the entire 14 weeks while we’re away, as we balance the workloads. The ICC T20 World Cup in Australia is only six months away and we’ll continue to also prioritise as much planning and preparation for that as possible.”
Squad: Kane Williamson (capt), Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Colin de Grandhomme, Jacob Duffy, Cameron Fletcher, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Rachin Ravindra, Hamish Rutherford, Tim Southee, Blair Tickner, Neil Wagner, Will Young
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