19 Oct 2014

Brownlie and Latham back in black

1:25 pm on 19 October 2014

Batsmen Dean Brownlie and Tom Latham have returned to the Blackcaps one-day squad for the side's first ever match at Tauranga's Bay Oval.

Dean Brownlie

Dean Brownlie Photo: PHOTOSPORT

The series against South Africa begins in Mount Maunganui on Tuesday followed by a match at the same venue on and Friday, and the the third in Hamilton on Labour Day Monday.

New Zealand Coach Mike Hesson says with Ross Taylor (calf strain) out for the series and Kane Williamson (wrist injury) missing Tuesday's opener, it gives Brownlie and Latham a chance to impress.

"Tom had a very good tour to the West Indies with the Test team and also impressed in the warm-up match in Lincoln, while Dean was in strong form on the recent NZA tour to the UK."

Brownlie, 30, last played an ODI for New Zealand in the West Indies in July 2012 and has moved from Canterbury to the Northern Knights this season.

Latham, 22, was last seen in the coloured ODI clothing in Sri Lanka in November last year.

BLACKCAPS squad for opening ODI v South Africa:

Brendon McCullum (c) - Otago Volts

Corey Anderson - Northern Knights

Trent Boult - Northern Knights

Dean Brownlie - Northern Knights

Martin Guptill - Auckland Aces

Matt Henry - Canterbury

Tom Latham - Canterbury

Mitchell McClenaghan - Auckland Aces

Nathan McCullum - Otago Volts

Kyle Mills - Auckland Aces

James Neesham - Otago Volts

Luke Ronchi - Wellington Firebirds

Tim Southee - Northern Knights

Daniel Vettori - Northern Knights

In terms of the bowling stocks, Hesson was pleased to announce that Tim Southee is fit for the series after not being considered for the abandoned warm-up match against Ireland due to a sore shoulder.

He is joined in the squad for the opening match by his Test bowling partner Trent Boult, who was last in an ODI side in February 2013, and youngster Matt Henry who made a fine ODI debut against India in January with 4-38.

Hesson also welcomed the experience of former captain Daniel Vettori who had been "training the house down" over the winter and got through 10 overs against Scotland.

The head coach says that while the Blackcaps had the wood on South Africa the last time the two sides met early last year with New Zealand's first ever ODI series win in South Africa (2-1), there's no doubting that the Proteas are one of the best sides in the world.

"South Africa are a very consistent outfit in all forms, deservedly ranked second in one day cricket and have world-class players throughout their line-up."

Hesson added that with the series being the earliest ever start in the history of New Zealand cricket, the spring conditions will be a bit of an unknown.

"We've never played international cricket this early in the season so the conditions will be challenging and it's hard to know how the new ground at Bay Oval will shape up.

"But both teams will be hungry to get their Cricket World Cup preparations off to a good start."