New Zealand Cricket selectors have announced their squad for the first two ODIs in the one-day internationals series to be played versus England.

First noticeable selection in the squad is of the classical leg-spinner, Ish Sodhi. The 25-year old last played 50-over cricket for his country in May 2017 but is in as back up with fitness concerns over the team”s frontline spin bowlers.

“Both Mitchell Santner and Todd Astle have had injury concerns recently,” selector Gavin Larsen said. “So having Ish travel with us gives further options in the spin department.”

Sodhi has been one of kiwi”s best in T20 cricket and was ranked No. 1 in the format very recently. In 2018, he has taken nine wickets from ten games at an economy-rate of 8.25.

New Zealand will again have the same quality around which the team is built, that is Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor with the bat & Trent Boult and Tim Southee with the ball.

The squad has all the faces from the side that whitewashed Pakistan 5-0 recently barring George Worker and Seth Rance who were part of that series as batsmen and fast bowler respectively.

“Having won the previous eight matches, we”ve been able to keep good consistency in the selection with our ODI squad,” Larsen said. “We still have a number of guys pushing their case in domestic cricket and that”s pleasing, but this is the squad for the first two matches of the series.”

Squad: Kane Williamson(c), Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson, Colin de Grandhomme, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Colin Munro, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Ish Sodhi

The first ODI against England will be played on 25th February and second on 28th.

This promises to be a really exciting contest and a series.