Otago Cricket has today announced a squad of nineteen players to prepare for the Champions League Twenty20 to be held in India in October this year. The squad is the first of its kind and those selected will be the first domestic team from New Zealand to take part in such a prestigious international event.
Otago Cricket CEO Ross Dykes said “Participation in the Champions League Twenty20 is hugely exciting for Otago Cricket and naming this squad is the first step in what will be a comprehensive build up to the tournament. The 19 man squad will ultimately be reduced to a travelling 15 man squad but the extra numbers protect us against injury and the likelihood of several players being required for international duty during the September build up”
Otago Volts Coach Mike Hesson said “The squad we have selected has vast experience in key areas with seven players having played at the International level including Brendon McCullum who recently captained the Blackcaps during the Twenty20 World Cup in England. Outside of our international players we have a blend of experienced campaigners like Warren McSkimming and James McMillan, mixed with some exciting younger players in left arm spinner Nick Beard and attacking opening Batsman Hamish Rutherford. Those players selected in the Otago Volts Champions League Squad who will not be involved in the tour to Sri Lanka with the Blackcaps will start training in Dunedin as a squad at the beginning of September. We are in the early stages of finalizing a warm up programme and matches in the lead up to the Champions League in India on the 8th October.”
For more information on the champions League please visit www.otagocricket.co.nz
The squad is:
Neil Broom
Nick Beard
Derek de Boorder
Anthony Bullick
Ian Butler
Craig Cumming
Sean Eathorne
Shaun Haig
Mathew Harvie
Dimitri Mascarenhas
Brendon McCullum
Nathan McCullum
James McMillan
Warren McSkimming
Aaron Redmond
Hamish Rutherford
William Somerville
Greg Todd
Neil Wagner
