England may omit Morgan and Patel

Batsmen Eoin Morgan and Samit Patel are expected to be left out when England's Test squad for their forthcoming tour of New Zealand is named on Thursday.

England are set to name a 15-man squad, having taken 18 players to India.

After three Twenty20 internationals and three one-dayers, the three-Test series begins in Dunedin on 6 March.

Jonny Bairstow should be included after missing the one-day series in India because of family illness, but spinner James Tredwell may also miss out.

4 & 6 February: T20 warm-ups v New Zealand XI (Whangarei) 9, 12 & 15 February: T20 internationals (Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington) 17, 20 & 23 February: ODIs (Hamilton, Napier, Auckland) 27 Feb-2 March: Warm-up v New Zealand XI (Queenstown) 6-10 March: 1st Test (Dunedin) 14-18 March: 2nd Test (Wellington) 22-26 March: 3rd Test (Auckland) Bairstow will be the spare batsman and reserve wicketkeeper if England keep faith with the top six that finished the Test series in India, with Nick Compton and Joe Root retaining their places.

With England only expected to play one spinner in the Tests, Monty Panesar should travel as Graeme Swann's back-up, meaning there may be no place for Tredwell, who had joined the India tour as cover.

Stuart Meaker - briefly England's 19th man in India because of injuries to fast bowlers - may also miss out.

Batsman Kevin Pietersen, who is being rested from the limited-overs leg of the New Zealand tour, should return as England look to field their first-choice XI.

They will also announce one additional bowler to join the one-day international squad for New Zealand - which is likely to be Jade Dernbach, Chris Woakes or Meaker.

England Test squad for New Zealand (probable): Alastair Cook (capt), Nick Compton, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Matt Prior (wk), Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Steven Finn, James Anderson, Monty Panesar, Graham Onions.

England Twenty20 squad for New Zealand (announced on 23 December): Stuart Broad (capt), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Jos Buttler (wk), Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Michael Lumb, Stuart Meaker, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, James Tredwell, Luke Wright.

England ODI squad for New Zealand (announced on 23 December): Alastair Cook (capt), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler (wk), Steven Finn, Craig Kieswetter (wk), Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Graeme Swann, James Tredwell, Jonathan Trott, plus one player to be named.

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