With this year's under 19 cricket World Cup on the radar, a 15-player squad was today named to compete in a quadrangular series along with England, India and Australia.
The 50-over tournament will take place in Townsville with the New Zealanders departing for Australia on April 2. The teams willplay each other once to determine placings before contesting semifinals and a final.
New Zealand Cricket national selection manager Kim Littlejohn said the group had a great deal of promise and highlighted the depth of talent in this country.
"We are well underway with our planning and preparation for the World Cup later in the year," he said. "This series, against quality opposition, will provide a valuable opportunity for the squad and we expect the players to learn a lot.
"The cricket will be a big step up for the squad, giving us a good gauge on how they perform at this level and provide players with the opportunity to cement their spot in the World Cup squad."
New Zealand under 19 squad to compete in a quadrangular series in Townsville, Australia in April:
William Young (c), Central Districts; Joe Carter, Northern Districts; Sean Davey, Northern Districts; Michael Davidson, Canterbury; Jacob Duffy, Otago; Cameron Fletcher, Auckland; Ben Horne, Auckland; Nick Kelly, Northern Districts; Connor Neynens, Central Districts; Edward Nuttall, Canterbury; Matthew Quinn, Auckland; Ish Sodhi, Auckland; Theo van Woerkom, Canterbury; Joe Walker, Northern Districts; Henry Walsh, Wellington
