Auckland: All-rounder Rachin Ravindra and pace bowler Jacob Duffy have earned their maiden call-up to the New Zealand Test squad for the upcoming tour of England.The pair, alongside in-form Devon Conway, are the only uncapped players in a 20-member touring party named to face England in the two-Test series. The first Test at Lord’s begins on June 2 while the second Test at Edgbaston starts on June 10.
The squad will then be trimmed to 15 for the ICC World Test Championship final starting on June 18 in Southampton, as per ICC regulations.
If selected to play, Ravindra would be the youngest New Zealand Test player since Ish Sodhi, who debuted at 20 against Bangladesh in Chattogram in 2013.
In his third and most successful professional season, the left-hander notched twin hundreds for New Zealand A against the touring West Indies and recently returned from a dislocated shoulder to record his first Plunket Shield century.
He followed it up a week later with six wickets in a final round clash in Plunket Shield.
Duffy burst on to the international stage in December when he claimed 4/33 and the player-of-the-match award on debut for the New Zealand T20 side against Pakistan at Eden Park.
The 26-year-old has 197 first-class wickets to his name and first toured England in 2015 where he played for the New Zealand XI against Somerset and Worcester, before flying back home ahead of the New Zealand Test tour.
We’re absolutely delighted for Rachin and Jacob, coach Gary Stead said.
New Zealand Test squad: Kane Williamson (captain), Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Devon Conway, Colin de Grandhomme, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling (wicket-keeper), Will Young.