Black Caps settle on final spots in squad for Cricket World Cup in India

Jimmy Neesham, Ish Sodhi and Mark Chapman were included in the squad announced at Papatoetoe High School. Photo / photosport.nz

After months of conjecture about the status of Kane Williamson, the skipper’s crocked knee was not the injury most consequential to the Black Caps’ World Cup squad.

Coach Gary Stead today confirmed his 15-man group to contest the ODI showpiece starting in India next month, with three of the final players to seal their spots perhaps owing some rueful gratitude to a fallen teammate.

Michael Bracewell loomed as a potentially pivotal figure for the subcontinental tournament, his offbreak complementing an invaluable ability to close an innings with the bat.

Bracewell’s ruptured Achilles in June generated little of the angst that arose when Williamson tore his ACL a few months earlier. Unlike New Zealand’s white-ball captain, the Wellington skipper had no chance of recovering in time.

But Bracewell’s injury left the selectors looking for ways to replace the balance he had offered, eventually finding partial solutions in three players.

Inexperienced pair Rachin Ravindra and Mark Chapman were the clearest beneficiaries of Bracewell’s misfortune while Jimmy Neesham - uncontracted and having played only two ODIs this year - was named to his second ODI World Cup.

That trio will likely be outside a first-choice XI for crunch matches, though Stead stressed that will be surface-dependent. But all three offer qualities boasted by Bracewell and lacked by others on the fringes who missed out.

“With Michael Bracewell dropping out, it opened the option for another allrounder, and Jimmy’s the only pace allrounder that we saw,” Stead said. “You look over the potential for 10 or 12 games for a tournament, you might have some pitches where you weigh up playing pure pace bowlers or allrounders, and that’s where we felt we needed that cover.

“Jimmy is a big-match player for us, he’s done it on a number of occasions and we wanted to have that option in the squad. It may not be in every match, but we thought that the skill set he has is something we definitely wanted around.”

Stead has long leaned on the known quantity in selection, but in a battle with Henry Nicholls (67 ODIs) for a final batting spot, Chapman (12 ODIs) triumphed in part to a skill set reminiscent of Bracewell.

“We think very highly of him and like his ability to finish an innings,” the coach said. “He has the ability to come in and attack spin in particular right from the very start. If we can shape our innings well, then he may be able to provide the finishing touches.

“If it’s a pitch where we feel Glenn Phillips and Mark can bowl us five or six overs, then they could both play as well.”

Chapman’s 14 wickets in 68 list A matches reinforce his part-time credentials, but the Black Caps won’t struggle for spin overs in India.

At 23, Ravindra is the junior member of a squad featuring only two others in their 20s - Phillips (26) and Chapman (29) - but the allrounder bowled 10 overs while taking 3-48 in last week’s first ODI against England.

“We felt that going to India and being likely to face spin-friendly conditions at some stage, we wanted to make sure we had options of three spinners in the squad who all could potentially play,” Stead said. “We certainly liked the way Rachin bowled in Cardiff. It was nice to see his development and the confidence he’ll gain from that as well.”

Black Caps squad for ODI Cricket World Cup

Kane Williamson (c), Devon Conway, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham, Glenn Phillips, Jimmy Neesham, Mark Chapman, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.