Jesse Ryder left out of New Zealand's 30 probables for the 2015 ICC World Cup

New Zealand have announced their 30 probables for the 2015 WC

Maverick batsman Jesse Ryder has been excluded from co-hosts New Zealand’s 30-man preliminary squad for the 2015 ICC World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, starting in February.

Ryder has shown the capability of winning a match single-handedly with the bat in the past, but the selectors have opted against including the 30-year-old considering the off-field indiscretions that he has been repeatedly guilty of.

New Zealand’s chief selector, Bruce Edgar, said that they weren’t prepared to take a gamble on Ryder considering the enormity of the tournament. The left-handed opener, who last played an ODI for the Kiwis against India in January 2014, had been included in the New Zealand A squad for their tour of Dubai last month but backed out at the very last moment due to personal reasons.

"When he pulled out he left us with no real information about him and as a result we didn't have enough conviction to warrant his selection," Edgar told Fairfax Media.

"On balance we weighed it all up and thought we needed to see more. We never got to see enough and as a result we cut him from the 30."

The rest of the squad bears a fairly familiar look, with the list including all the players who are currently involved in the limited-overs series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

New Zealand will play the opening match of the quadrennial event against Sri Lanka at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, on February 14.

Squad: Martin Guptill, Anton Devcich, Tom Latham, Hamish Rutherford, Rob Nicol, Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, Neil Broom, Dean Brownlie, Colin Munro, Luke Ronchi, BJ Watling, Corey Anderson, James Neesham, Daniel Vettori, Colin de Grandhomme, Andrew Ellis, James Franklin, Grant Elliot, Ronnie Hira, Nathan McCullum, Hamish Bennett, Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Matt Henry, Mitchell McClenaghan, Kyle Mills, Adam Milne, Tim Southee.