The Cricketer has all the information you need ahead of the start of England's winter calendar, starting with a five-match T20.....
With under 12 months to go until the Men's T20 World Cup gets underway in Australia, England will open their winter calendar with five T20s and two Tests visiting World Cup final foes New Zealand, starting Friday.
FIRST T20: Hagley Oval, Christchurch (Friday, November 1, 2pm local time, 1am GMT)
SECOND T20: Westpac Stadium, Wellington (Sunday, November 3, 2pm local time, 1am GMT)
THIRD T20: Saxton Oval, Nelson (Tuesday, November 5, 2pm local time, 1am GMT)
FOURTH T20: McLean Park, Napier (Friday, November 8, 6pm local time, 5am GMT)
FIFTH T20: Eden Park, Auckland (Sunday, November 10, 2pm local time, 1am GMT)
With the dust having finally settled on England's 50-over World Cup success, attention now turns to becoming the first side to hold both global white-ball titles simultaneously. Eoin Morgan has opted to stay on as captain, despite issues with his back, and with him at the helm the champions from 2010 look a formidable outfit.
This tour will give the selectors a good idea as to the depth of this particular group. Joe Root, Jason Roy, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood are all sitting out the series, giving Morgan a look at the new breed. Should they flounder, then expected many of the more established names to return for South Africa. Succeed, and suddenly England have a wealth of options to choose from.
Though the focus in the recent past has been on the 50-over format, England's recent T20 results are impressive. They have won four of their last five series, while a large handful of players are applying their trade across the franchise world.
The Blast might not be the most-respected T20 league in the world, but it has provided a pathway into those overseas divisions. Tom Banton, Lewis Gregory and Pat Brown are among the latest beneficiaries after impressing over the last two editions.
The lead-up to next year's 'Big Dance' might not have the sophistication or dedication that the preparation for last summer's showcase did, but it will be taken with equal seriousness. Australia have already laid down a marker with the manner in which they have dismissed Sri Lanka and it will be up to England to respond.
Pat Brown is in line for his international debut
After a lengthy home summer that included the 2-2 Ashes draw and a famous World Cup victory, England's first squad of the winter sees some senior names rested and five players who could potentially make their senior international debuts.
Eoin Morgan again leads the side, with Jonny Bairstow, Adil Rashid, Tom Curran and James Vince the only members of his World Cup squad making the trip to New Zealand for the T20 series.
After knuckleballing Worcestershire into back-to-back T20 Blast finals, 21-year-old Pat Brown has been handed his international debut for the opening T20. Sam Curran, despite having already won an Indian Premier League contract with Kings XI Punjab, will also make is 20-over bow for his country.
Lancashire duo of seamer Saqib Mahmood and legspinner Matt Parkinson, and Somerset's Tom Banton are all waiting for their opportunity, but Lewis Gregory could be called upon after Joe Denly rolled an ankle in training.
A shoulder injury early in the county season ruled Sam Billings out of international contention over the summer, however, the Kent wicketkeeper has been named for the first time as Morgan's vice-captain for the series and is likely to take the gloves for the five-match series.
Middlesex opener Dawid Malan will play his first T20I since touring New Zealand 20 months ago after being confirmed to open, while Sussex bowler Chris Jordan enters the series just three wickets shy of becoming the first England bowler since Stuart Broad at Eden Park in 2013 to reach 50 wickets in the format.
The Kiwis are without Kane Williamson for the series
England squad: Eoin Morgan (c), Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings (wk), Pat Brown, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Lewis Gregory, Chris Jordan, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Matt Parkinson, Adil Rashid, James Vince
A recurrence of the hip injury that affected him during New Zealand's Test series against Bangladesh in March means that regular skipper Kane Williamson is sidelined, with veteran seamer Tim Southee filling in for him once again.
Martin Guptill and Lockie Ferguson both return having missed parts of the recent T20 tour of Sri Lanka due to injury, and Guptill's Super Over partner Jimmy Neesham could be in line to make his first appearance in the format since January 2017. With Trent Boult currently playing a Plunket Shield fixture for Northern Districts as part of his preparation for November's Test portion of the tour, he will not be available for the Blackcaps' T20 side until game four.
Southee will have the spin options of Mitch Santner and Ish Sodhi at his disposal, meanwhile, his pace attack can be complemented by the new-look duo of Scott Kuggeleijn and Blair Tickner. The stoic veteran pair of Ross Taylor and Colin de Grandhomme will provide the core of the side, while Northern Districts allrounder Daryl Mitchell completes coach Gary Stead's squad for the series.
New Zealand squad: Tim Southee (c), Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Mitch Santner, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Ross Taylor, Blair Tickner
Sam Curran has plenty of T20 experience - but is set for his maiden outing with England
After an overcast start, the weather in Christchurch is expected to be clear for the remainder of the day, which should ensure an uninterrupted game.
Fans in the UK can watch the series live on Sky Sports Main Event (Sky 401, Virgin 501, TalkTalk 402, BT 402) and Sky Sports Main Event (Sky 404, Virgin 504, TalkTalk 405). Coverage starts at 12:30am GMT on Friday morning.
Viewers without Sky Sports packages can watch the coverage live online through Now TV, which is available through computers, mobile devices, games consoles and selected smart TVs.
Radio coverage in the UK will be live at the same time with Test Match Special through DAB on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra and the BBC Sounds app.
In New Zealand, the match will be shown live on Sky Sport 2 (Sky 052) and online via Sky Go from 1:30pm NZDT, with highlights following throughout the day.
New Zealand available as 4/6 favourites with Dafabet, while England are rated at 23/20.
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