McCullum wants ODI relief against England
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum hopes a change of format and the introduction of several new players will revive his side from the depths of a Test whitewash when they face England in a three-match one-day series starting at Lord’s on Friday.
For both teams, this series will serve as a warm-up for next month’s ICC Champions Trophy tournament in England and Wales. McCullum would also like it to act as a pick-me-up for a squad that suffered a 247-run hammering by England in the second and final Test at Headingley on Tuesday.
Friday’s match will see New Zealand return to Lord’s where they lost the first Test by the comparatively modest, yet still huge, margin of 170 runs after collapsing to 68 all out in their second innings.
They are set to take the field without left-arm seamer Trent Boult, a star performer when New Zealand faced England at home earlier this year and who also impressed in England before aggravating a side strain at Headingley that left him doubtful for the Champions Trophy. Ian Butler is ready to stand-in should Boult be ruled out.
However, the inclusion of eight new players for the ODIs with England should bolster the Kiwis, who lost the corresponding three-match ODI series in New Zealand 2-1 after winning an ODI series in South Africa. “We’ve got eight new guys coming into the fold for the ODI series and Champions Trophy and they’re quite experienced, some of those guys,” said McCullum. “One thing we have been able to do in recent times is move between the forms of the game and refocus too.”
Daniel Vettori, who ruled himself unfit to play at Headingley because of concerns over an Achilles injury, James Franklin, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills and Grant Elliott will all add experience.
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