New Zealand Announce Test Squad for Ireland and England Tour, Kane Williamson Returns

New Zealand national cricket team have announced their Test squad for the upcoming tour of Ireland and England. The Black Caps will first play one Test match against Ireland, and then begin a three-match Test series against England from June 4. Some of the notable absentees from the squad include the spin duo of Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell.

Santner pulled out of the Indian Premier League after sustaining a shoulder injury, while Bracewell made himself unavailable for selection from red-ball cricket. Fast bowler Jacob Duffy is also not available for selection as he will stay back in the country, as he and his wife are set to welcome their first child.

"Jake has been hugely impressive and influential across all formats, but this is a far more important period of his life coming up and we're fully supportive of him and his wife Tash," New Zealand head coach Rob Walter said as quoted on ESPNcricinfo.

Kane Williamson returns as New Zealand announce squad for Ireland and England Tests

New Zealand national cricket team have included several fast bowlers in their squad for the Europe tour, including returning pacers Kyle Jamieson and Will O'Rourke. Jamieson is set to play Test cricket for the first time in two years, while O’Rourke is also returning after recovering from injury.

"It's a great privilege to start this next period of sustained red-ball cricket with all our pace bowlers ready to go. Kyle's been on a journey of getting his body ready for Test cricket. He's really fit and strong at the moment and will bring a unique edge to our bowling line-up. Will brings a quality set of skills and physical attributes which make him a hugely exciting addition to any Test team,” Walter added.

It is also important to note that former captain Kane Williamson has been included in the squad. This comes after the star batter said he will decide his availability for international cricket one series at a time. The right-handed batter is currently 539 runs away from becoming the first New Zealand batter to reach 10,000 runs in Test match cricket. 

New Zealand squad: Tom Latham (C), Tom Blundell (WK), Nathan Smith, Devon Conway, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will O'Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears (Ireland Test), Blair Tickner, Kane Williamson, Will Young (Ireland Test only), Kristian Clarke (Ireland Test only), Dean Foxcroft, Michael Rae (Ireland Test only)