By Matt Burrows
Rising Black Caps star Henry Nicholls has added another milestone to an already memorable summer of cricket, after he was named in the New Zealand Test squad to face Australia this month.
Black Caps coach Mike Hesson said Nicholls was a deserving recipient of his first Test call-up -- and said the conditions would suit him.
“Henry [Nicholls] has been very impressive the way he’s made the step up to international cricket and we’re confident of the job he can do for us in the top order,” Hesson said.
The two-match series will kick off on February 12, marking the last series enigmatic Black Caps captain Brendon McCullum will feature in -- and also his 100th international Test match.
Batsman Ross Taylor will miss the first match because of injury, with Luke Ronchi providing cover for BJ Watling should he fail to recover from a back strain in time.
“We’ve gone for just the one spinner in Mitch [Santner] and that’s based around what we expect the pitches to play like at Hagley and the Basin,” Hesson said.
“Tim [Southee] is a leader within our group and our most experienced bowler, so we’re excited to have him fit and a part of our pace bowling attack.
“Matt [Henry] also comes back into the squad after some really strong performances throughout the summer and with Corey [Anderson]’s return we now have a number of seam bowling options to consider.
“It’s well documented how good a Test side Australia are and we know it will take some exceptional cricket for us to have a chance of taking out the series,” he said.
Black Caps Test Squad v Australia: Brendon McCullum (C), Corey Anderson, Doug Bracewell, Trent Boult, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling / Luke Ronchi (wk), Kane Williamson
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