Former Black Caps captain Ross Taylor begins his return to international cricket early next month after being named in a New Zealand XI squad to play two warm-up Twenty20 matches against England.

Andrew Ellis will captain the 14-strong squad in matches on February 4 and 6 at Cobham Oval in Whangarei, national selection manager Kim Littlejohn said on Wednesday.

In a controversial move in early December, the 28-year-old Taylor was stripped of the captaincy of the shorter forms of the game.

He turned down the offer of remaining as Test skipper, deciding instead to take time out from cricket, and was unavailable for the tour of South Africa.

New Zealand Cricket chairman Chris Moller later issued a public apology to him over the way the captaincy change was handled.

Taylor is turning out for Central Districts in their Plunket Shield four-day match against Canterbury, beginning in Napier on Thursday.

Littlejohn welcomed Taylor back into the mix for the seven-week England tour, which includes three Twenty20s, three one-day internationals and three Tests.

“We’re excited about seeing him play again,” Littlejohn said.

“He’s a proven world-class batsman, and this will provide him with a great chance to get some cricket under his belt following his break.”

The New Zealand squad includes four newcomers to the international stage in Nick Beard, Matt Henry, Anton Devcich and Hamish Rutherford, while former Australian wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi also gets the chance to push his claims.

“We’re confident all of the players in the squad will relish the chance to play against England, with the matches a great opportunity for them to push for higher honours,” Littlejohn said.

NZ squad: Andrew Ellis (captain), Anton Devcich, Colin Munro, Hamish Rutherford, Ian Butler, Jimmy Neesham, Luke Ronchi, Matthew Henry, Michael Bates, Neil Broom, Neil Wagner, Nick Beard, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham.