NZ Cricket name World Cup squad

Former Black Caps allrounder Jesse Ryder has unsurprisingly been omitted from an initial 30-man squad for next year’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia.

The squad, named by New Zealand Cricket on Monday, will be trimmed to 15 in January.

Ryder’s omission was well-flagged, despite his outstanding season for Essex in English county cricket.

The 30-year-old was named in a 13-man New Zealand A squad to tour the United Arab Emirates for ODIs against the UAE, Afghanistan and Ireland last month.

But he withdrew before the team left, citing personal reasons.

The big-hitting batsman missed an Otago Twenty20 match against Canterbury in mid-November after failing to make the team’s flight to Christchurch.

Ryder has a history of alcohol-related incidents and hasn’t played for the Black Caps since a night out with Doug Bracewell before the Test against India in Auckland in February.

Bracewell has been named in the World Cup squad, continuing his rehabilitation after a recall to the New Zealand Test squad for the recent two-match series against Pakistan in the UAE.

Former Black Caps skipper Dan Vettori continues his comeback to international cricket after an injury-plagued last couple of years.

He missed out when NZC contracts were handed out in July, but national selection general manager Bruce Edgar said the experienced left-arm spinner was always in the frame for World Cup selection.

Vettori will be 36 at the time of the tournament in February and March, but has played 275 one-day internationals and made a successful return to Test cricket in New Zealand’s two matches against Pakistan in Dubai recently.

Squad: Corey Anderson, Hamish Bennett, Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Neil Broom, Dean Brownlie, Colin de Grandhomme, Anton Devcich, Grant Elliott, Andrew Ellis, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Roneel Hira, Tom Latham, Mitchell McClenaghan, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, James Neesham, Rob Nicol, Luke Ronchi, Hamish Rutherford, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Daniel Vettori, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson.

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