New Zealand have selected several leading players for tomorrow's World Cup warm-up showdown with Scotland in Lincoln, writes David Kelso.
It will be the stiffest test of the Scots' tour of Australasia as the hosts are treating the match at Bert Sutcliffe Oval, which will be a homecoming for the Scotland coach Grant Bradburn - he played in a string of Tests for New Zealand - as a full-blown international.
Big-hitting Brendan McCullum will lead the Black Caps, while the spinner/all-rounder Daniel Vettori will use tonight's encounter to prove his fitness after a long spell on the sidelines because of injury. Among other frontline players in the New Zealand line-up are Corey Anderson, Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Luke Ronchi and Kyle Mills.
Meanwhile, Matthew Maynard, the former England batsman, has been signed by Scotland officials as a specialist batting coach in the build-up to the World Cup in New Zealand and Australia in the New Year.
Maynard will link up with the squad for a training camp in Dubai next month. He said: "It is an exciting time for Scotland and this will offer a great learning experience for the players and coaches alike."
Bradburn added: "With Matt's excellent track record it's a great opportunity for the players to work on different aspects of their batting. It will bolster what we have gained during our current tour."
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