Daily Times

Seamers Ben Sears, Nathan Smith and Will O’Rourke will play their first global tournament at the Champions Trophy in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates next month after being named in the New Zealand squad on Sunday. Matt Henry will lead the New Zealand attack after the international retirements of stalwarts Trent Boult and Tim Southee with Lockie Ferguson making up a five-strong pace battery. Sears returns from a knee injury that kept him out of action for much of last year, while O’Rourke and Smith impressed in the recent test series against England and the short format series against Sri Lanka that followed.