Devon Conway will have a further chance to push his Test claims after being named in the New Zealand A squads to face West Indies A and Pakistan over the next couple of weeks.
Glenn Phillips, who hit a thrilling maiden T20I hundred in the second match against West Indies, will be able to show off his long-form credentials, following his hurried Test debut against Australia in January where he struck an impressive half-century, having been included in both squads.
In the second of the two New Zealand A matches, against Pakistan in Queenstown from December 10, Lockie Ferguson and Jimmy Neesham will have the opportunity for their first red-ball cricket since March although the status of that match may depend on there not being any more positive Covid-19 cases during Pakistan’s managed isolation in Christchurch.
“We’re delighted to be naming such strong squads to take on West Indies A and Pakistan,” selector Gavin Larsen said. “It really does highlight the talent depth we currently have and underlines our intentions to look at a wide group of potential Test players over this NZ A season.
“To have ten Blackcaps included across the two games is a testament to that depth and we know the next tier of players get a lot of out of sharing a changing room with our internationals.
“To have guys in red-hot form like Glenn, Devon and Lockie is a bonus and I know they’ll be keen to prove what they can do in the longest form of the game. We’re excited to unleash Lockie with the red-ball and see what challenges his extra pace can pose to Pakistan.”
Conway has started his international career with scores of 41 and 65 not out in the first two T20Is against West Indies. He has not yet been able to force his way into the Test squad with Will Young the spare batsman.
New Zealand A v West Indies A, December 3-6 Glenn Phillips, Joe Carter, Devon Conway, Tim Seifert, Cole McConchie, Mark Chapman, Dane Cleaver (wk), Doug Bracewell, Nathan Smith, Scott Kuggeleijn, Jacob Duffy, Blair Tickner, Ish Sodhi
New Zealand A v Pakistan, December 10-13 Glenn Phillips, Henry Cooper, Devon Conway, Tim Seifert, Rachin Ravindra, Mark Chapman, Jimmy Neesham, Cameron Fletcher (wk), Doug Bracewell, Lockie Ferguson, Ed Nuttall, Scott Kuggeleijn, Ish Sodhi