Cairns and Tuffey in NZ squad

Chris Cairns, Daryl Tuffey and Kyle Mills have been included in New Zealand's squad for the ICC Champions Trophy, after passing fitness and medical tests. The bulk of the side was the same as the one that recently won the NatWest Series in England, although James Franklin, who had replaced the injured Mills there, gave that place back.

"The squad contains no real surprises," said John Bracewell, the New Zealand coach. "These players have performed well during the past nine months. The nucleus of this squad plays well as a team and has the class required to continue winning at this level."

Bracewell was understating it, of course. New Zealand have lost only two of the 17 one-day internationals that they have played this year, and have climbed up to the second spot on the ICC ODI table. Australia are still well ahead of them, but New Zealand could edge closer with a strong performance in the Champions Trophy.

The irony is, though, that the top two teams on that table are in the same league group in the Champions Trophy, and only one of them can progress to the semi-finals. If New Zealand and Australia both beat USA, as they are expected to, then their clash on Sept 16 will decide who progresses from that group. It's a terrific opportunity for New Zealand to climb the table, because if they can win that match and go all the way, they will pick up a lot of points on the ICC table, while Australia will end their trip to England with a net loss.

Bracewell also explained some of the selections that had been made. "Tuffey, Mills and Cairns have undergone fitness assessments, and medical advice is that each of them will be available to participate fully in the tournament," he said. "Mills retains his position in the squad despite a strong challenge from Franklin ... [He] has served the Black Caps well during his one-day career to date and offers just a little bit more flexibility than Franklin as regards the roles he plays as part of the bowling unit."

Squad Stephen Fleming (capt), Nathan Astle, Michael Papps, Hamish Marshall, Craig McMillan, Brendan McCullum (wk), Scott Styris, Chris Harris, Jacob Oram, Chris Cairns, Daniel Vettori, Kyle Mills, Daryl Tuffey, Ian Butler.