Kent captain Sam Billings has been named in the 15 man England squad for the five-match ODI series against New Zealand.

Already in Australia with the England squad, Billings will make the relatively short trip for the series of games in February and March.

Ben Stokes’s involvement is subject to any court obligations in relation to the incident in Bristol in September and his travel arrangements are yet to be confirmed.

Chairman of Selectors James Whitaker, said:

“On behalf of the England Selectors I’d like to congratulate head coach Trevor Bayliss and captain Eoin Morgan on their victory in the Gillette ODI series over Australia.

“Our ODI side has made excellent progress over the last three years and it’s encouraging to see with the 2019 World Cup on the horizon.

“We’re sure to encounter strong opposition in New Zealand but it’s another opportunity for the team to test themselves and to continue playing entertaining cricket.

“I would like to wish everyone involved in the squad the best of luck.”

 

England’s 15-man squad versus New Zealand, ODI Series

Eoin Morgan (Middlesex) (Capt.)

Moeen Ali (Worcestershire)

Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire)

Sam Billings (Kent)

Jos Buttler (Lancashire)

Tom Curran (Surrey)

Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire)

Liam Plunkett (Yorkshire)

Adil Rashid (Yorkshire)

Joe Root (Yorkshire)

Jason Roy (Surrey)

Ben Stokes (Durham)

David Willey (Yorkshire)

Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)

Mark Wood (Durham)

 

Fixtures:

1st ODI, Sunday February 25 v New Zealand, Seddon Park, Hamilton (2pm Local Time)

2nd ODI, Wednesday February 28 v New Zealand, Bay Oval, Tauranga (2pm Local Time)

3rd ODI, Saturday March 3 v New Zealand, Westpac Stadium, Wellington (2pm Local Time)

4th ODI, Wednesday March 7 v New Zealand, University of Otago Oval, Dunedin (11am Local Time)

5th ODI, Saturday March 10 v New Zealand, Hagley Oval, Christchurch (11am Local Time)