England face testing warm-up

Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming will face England © Getty Images

England will face an invitational side including five New Zealand internationals for the first of two warm-up matches next week prior to the start of the Test series against the Black Caps.

The tourists were due to face Otago in a two-day match and three-day match in Dunedin next week, which would form their preparation for the opening Test in Hamilton starting on March 5.

But Otago have progressed to the State Shield semi-final against State Canterbury Wizards in Christchurch next Sunday and have instead been replaced by an invitational XI for the two-day match.

Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming, opener Matthew Bell, batsmen Matthew Sinclair and Peter Fulton and seamer Mark Gillespie have all been included in the line-up for a game where both sides can use 13 players.

Should Otago qualify for the State Shield final at Eden Park on March 2, a second invitational XI will be chosen to face England in the three-day match starting next Thursday.

Invitational XI to face England: Matthew Bell, Stephen Fleming, Peter Fulton, Mark Gillespie, Shaun Haig, Gareth Hopkins, Leighton Morgan, Gareth Shaw, Jordan Sheed, Mathew Sinclair, Will Somerville, Nic Turner, Sam Wells.