Sears, who was a roaming reserve for the T20 World Cup last year, recently played his first game since April after returning in the Super Smash from injury and is in line for his ODI debut having played one Test and 17 T20I. O’Rourke has impressed in all formats early in his international career, but has been especially striking in Tests.
Smith, meanwhile, will provide lower-order power with the bat and bustling bowling.
The final in South Africa will be played on February 9 and the ILT20 decider the following day. New Zealand will play Pakistan on February 8 in their first match of the tri-series, followed by South Africa on February 10. They will then have a warm-up match against Afghanistan on February 16.
“We currently have a lot of quality players and that certainly made for some challenging selection discussions,” head coach Gary Stead said. “In the end, we have settled on the team that will offer us the best options to perform well in the expected conditions in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates. We are lucky to have a large part of the group with significant international and tournament experience to draw from.” . to the.
“The format of the tournament is unique in the sense that you have to hit the ground running, which means our preparation in the Tri Series leading up to the lead is really important. It’s going to be a great occasion to open the tournament against the hosts in Pakistan in Karachi and I can’t wait to get there and get stuck.”
Mark Chapman and Will Young have earned places, while bowling all-rounder Michael Bracewell is also included.
New Zealand are grouped with Pakistan, Bangladesh and India in the group stage, meaning they will travel to Dubai to face the latter.
New Zealand squad for Champions Trophy and Pakistan Tri-Series
Mitchell Santner (captain), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young
