NSW spring surprise with warm-up tour of India

New South Wales will prepare for their Pura Cup defence with a trip to India - their first overseas tour since Zimbabwe in the 1980s. David Gilbert, the Cricket NSW chief executive, said the tour would be a valuable experience from a cultural point of view and a cricket perspective.

"The wickets will be similar to what the players will face early in the season at the SCG," Gilbert said. "It's the first time since a tour to Zimbabwe in the '80s that we have sent a team overseas and it should be a tremendous experience."

Trevor Bayliss, the coach of the side that won the four-day competition but finished last in the ING Cup, said the trip included playing in the MRF Invitational Tournament involving Bangladesh and local teams. "The last time NSW toured overseas it was a fore-runner to some successful periods in the late '80s, early '90s," Bayliss said. "Hopefully this tour can play the same sort of role."

Bayliss said about half the squad from the Pura Cup final was going, but fringe players would have an opportunity to impress. The tour starts on August 12 and the side will also feature in the Bradman Unibec Twenty20 Tournament in Bangalore.

NSW squad Doug Bollinger, Nathan Bracken, Jarrad Burke, Ed Cowan, Murray Creed, Jason Krejza, Grant Lambert, Greg Mail, Matthew Nicholson, Mark Cameron, Aaron O'Brien, James Packman, Matthew Phelps, Craig Simmons, Daniel Smith, Dominic Thornely.