England next for BLACKCAPS

The BLACKCAPS will look for their first win of the 2007 Tri-Series against England at Hobart.

Captain Stephen Fleming will have the full 14-man squad at his disposal after Ross Taylor and James Franklin were cleared to play after sustaining injury and illness during the 105-run defeat to Australia on Sunday.

Taylor, who top-scored for the BLACKCAPS with 84, suffered a repeat of the cramps that hindered his maiden ODI century last month against Sri Lanka in Napier.

A migraine caused Franklin to bow out of the attack prematurely at the Bellerive Oval on Sunday, but the left-armer is likely to be available for selection for the second match of the series.

The match also sees Shane Bond and Nathan Astle poised to take their 100th ODI wickets.

Bond can reach three figures in his first ODI match against the English, having propelled himself into the reckoning with his 50th over hat-trick against Australia.

Astle made the same total in 220 appearances at 38.2 runs, compared to 19.31 in 52 games by his State Canterbury Wizards team-mate.

England, whitewashed in the Ashes series, will also be seeking revenge against the BLACKCAPS.

The last time the teams met, the BLACKCAPS edged the English out of their own tri-series in 2004 before winning the final against the West Indies at Lord’s.

The teams share a 25-25 record from 54 previous meetings, with one tie, in 1997 at Napier.

Returning English skipper Michael Vaughan has key middle-order batsman Kevin Pietersen unavailable after he sustained a fractured rib.

Batting all-rounder Ravi Bopara, an Essex team-mate of Andre Adams, has been called-up, although Middlesex’s Ed Joyce will likely replace Pietersen in Hobart.

BLACKCAPS (from): Stephen Fleming (c), Andre Adams, Nathan Astle, Shane Bond, James Franklin, Peter Fulton, Mark Gillespie, Hamish Marshall, Michael Mason, Brendon McCullum, Craig McMillan, Jeetan Patel, Ross Taylor, Daniel Vettori.

England (from): M Vaughan (c), A Strauss, I Bell, A Flintoff, P Collingwood, J Dalrymple, P Nixon, J Anderson, J Lewis, M Panesar, C Tremlett, E Joyce, S Mahmood, L Plunkett, C Read.