He will join two other promising quicks — Auckland’s Lockie Ferguson and Canterbury’s Ed Nuttall. Black Caps discard Henry Nicholls will captain the side, while Auckland’s Jeet Raval and Northern District’s Dean Brownlie have been selected to open the innings.
Wellington’s Tom Blundell will keep wickets and Central Districts captain Will Young gets another opportunity to impress in the middle order.
Canterbury leg-spinner Todd Astle and Auckland all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme carry form into the match, while Bharat Popli was the leading scorer in the Plunket Shield last season.
"It’s an exciting opportunity for these guys to match up against a quality Pakistan side," national selector Gavin Larsen said.
"We’ve been impressed by the performances of these players in the Plunket Shield this year and last year, and see this as another step in their development.
"Performances for New Zealand A provide further information about these players’ suitability for the international game and the selectors will be taking a keen interest."
Four players were not considered due to injury — speedster Adam Milne, left-arm fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan and left-hand batsmen Colin Munro and George Worker. One player, Scott Kuggeleijn, withdrew from consideration.
New Zealand A
Team
Henry Nicholls (c), Todd Astle, Tom Blundell, Dean Brownlie, Colin de Grandhomme, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Ed Nuttall, Bharat Popli, Jeet Raval, Will Young, Shawn Hicks (12th man).
