McCullum, Taylor not in NZ ODI squad

New Zealand will be without senior batsmen Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor for the ODI series against Sri Lanka next month, opting to rest the team leaders ahead of the Tests against the West Indies in December.

New Zealand will be without senior batsmen Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor for the ODI series against Sri Lanka next month, opting to rest the team leaders ahead of the Tests against the West Indies in December.

The duo are currently in Bangladesh with the side after drawing the two Tests against the Tigers. The Kiwis still have to play three ODIs and a T20 there, before moving on to Sri Lanka where they will play three ODIs and two T20s.

Batsman Kane Williamson will captain the side in McCullum's absence.

Bruce Edgar, NZC general manager national selection, said: "Ross and Brendon need red ball preparation to be at their best for the summer.

"Both players are vital to our success and fine tuning their red ball skills before the West Indies series starting in early December is paramount.

"This summer we have 37 days of international cricket at home and Brendon and Ross are expected to play all of these, so it's essential that we manage their workloads.

SQUAD: Kane Williamson (captain), Corey Anderson, Ian Butler, Anton Devcich, Grant Elliott, Tom Latham, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, James Neesham, Luke Ronchi, Hamish Rutherford.

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