Prolific Wellington Firebirds batsman Devon Conway has taken the next step towards representing his adopted country, after being named in the Blackcaps T20 squad to play West Indies later this month.
The South African-born top-order strokemaker has scored a bucketfull of runs in domestic cricket the last two seasons, scooping the top runscorer gongs across both the Super Smash and Plunket Shield last season.
That form has been rewarded with a national call-up, although he has missed out on the test squad.
The only new face in the 13-strong test squad is Central Districts captain Will Young. The talented right-handed batsman was set to make his test debut against Bangladesh in Christchurch last year, but the match was cancelled, following the mosque terrorist attack.
Tom Blundell has retained his spot at the top of the order, while Kyle Jamieson joins Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner in the pace attack. Ajaz Patel is the only specialist spinner named in the squad.
Jamieson joins Conway as a new edition to the 20-over format, while Auckland dasher Glenn Phillips has been recalled.
Tim Southee will captain the T20 squad for the first two games, with Kane Williamson rested, after his stint in the IPL.
Boult will also sit out the T20 series, which will also see Doug Bracewell, Scott Kuggeleijn and Mark Chapman included for the final game.
"We’ve had to make a decision on Kane and Trent to prioritise the test matches, given how important they are to our red-ball team and the fact they both played such big roles in the recent IPL, while also managing injuries," says coach Gary Stead.
"There’s no secret we’re right in the hunt for the World Test Championship Final, after our two-nil win over India, so having Trent and Kane fully fit and focused for the upcoming series will be crucial."
Blackcaps T20 squad
Tim Southee (c), Hamish Bennett, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Seifert (wk), Ross Taylor
- Doug Bracewell, Scott Kuggeleijn and Mark Chapman included for game three in place of Jamieson, Southee and Taylor.
Blackcaps test squad
Kane Williamson (c), Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling (wk), Will Young
