Ben Stokes, Liam Livingstone in England squad for New Zealand Test

Ben Stokes

Allrounder Ben Stokes was included in England's 16-man cricket squad for their Test tour of New Zealand yesterday, while Lancashire batsman Liam Livingstone got his first call up.

Seamer Mark Wood returns after struggling with injury, and Ashes underperformers Mooen Ali, James Vince and Mark Stoneman were all retained.

But Gary Ballance, Jake Ball and Tom Curran, who were all part of the Australia Test squad, miss out.

England play two Tests in New Zealand starting in Auckland on March 22 after being thrashed 4-0 by Australia in the Ashes series that ended in Sydney this week. In the chastening campaign, Australia record four comprehensive wins -- including two innings victories and a 10-wicket triumph.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here

Download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go