The Black Caps have selected two spinners in their squad to face Pakistan in the opening two matches of the one-day in ternational home series.
Todd Astle and Mitchell Santner both feature in the 13-man squad, while batsman Martin Guptill also returns to the side.
''Todd made the most of his opportunity against the West Indies and made a strong contribution with both bat and ball,'' Black Caps selector Gavin Larsen said.
''Mitchell has been one of our most consistent white ball bowlers for a long time now, as can be seen by him being ranked in the top 10 ODI bowlers in the world.''
''Conditions will dictate whether they play in the same 11, but it's certainly not out of the question.''
''Martin is a proven world-class player, so we're naturally thrilled to have him back in the mix. He and Colin [Munro] have been strong for us at the top of the order.
The opening match of the series is at the Basin Reserve on Saturday.
Auckland all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme was unavailable and will return to play for his province on January 7.
