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New Zealand make changes for England series opener

March 01, 2008 18:06 IST

South African-born all-rounder Grant Elliott has been called into an injury-hit New Zealand squad for the first Test against England, starting in Hamilton on Wednesday.

The uncapped Elliott was included in an expanded 13-man squad after Peter Fulton, Michael Mason and Jesse Ryder were ruled out with injuries.

Jamie How and Ross Taylor were both recalled to the squad as a reward for their impressive performances in last month's one-day series, which New Zealand won 3-1.

How, who has not played a Test since December 2006, joined the squad to partner Matthew Bell in opening the innings after scoring a century in the one-dayers.

Ross Taylor, who was overlooked for last month's two-Test series against Bangladesh, ensured his place in the squad by topping the batting averages in the limited-overs series.

New Zealand are due to host England in three Tests in March, with the second match in Wellington and the last in Napier.

New Zealand - Daniel Vettori (captain), Mathew Bell, Grant Elliott, Stephen Fleming, Jamie How, Chris Martin, Brendon McCullum, Kyle Mills, Iain O'Brien, Jacob Oram, Jeetan Patel, Mathew Sinclair, Ross Taylor.

(Reporting by Julian Linden; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)

Source: REUTERS
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