Tom Blundell

Injury-depending he may not be called upon, but Blundell will hope to surprise as many with his performances as he did with his selection if the chance arrives

The Cricketer | 04/05/2019 at 14:19

Born: September 1, 1990

Role: Right-hand bat, wicketkeeper

A pick from the wilderness, Tom Blundell was very much the surprise selection for New Zealand's 15-man World Cup squad given his lack of experience at the highest level.

The 28-year-old has never played ODI cricket at international level despite being called up to the squad for a series against Australia in 2017, but has been selected off of an unbeaten 107 on debut in a Test match against the West Indies.

Blundell, who has also featured in three Twenty20 internationals for the Black Caps, will serve as backup to regular keeper Tom Latham at the expense of Tim Seifert.

An aggressive middle-order keeper batsman, Blundell's vast repertoire of sweeps has been the defining feature of his dramatic rise since 2017.

In the space of three days, Blundell earned his first call-up to the senior Kiwi squad in place of the injured Luke Ronchi for the third T20I against Bangladesh, won the Super Smash with Wellington, and then received his maiden international cap from Corey Anderson.

While he is yet to see his limited-overs international career take off, his superior glovework compared to the explosive opener Seifert has seen him get the nod ahead of the 24-year-old.

Injury-depending he may not be called upon, but Blundell will hope to surprise as many with his performances as he did with his selection if the chance arrives.

NEW ZEALAND PLAYER PROFILES

Tom Blundell

Trent Boult

Lockie Ferguson

Colin de Grandhomme