Mason Crane and James Vince have retained their places in England’s Test squad for the forthcoming tour of New Zealand.

The Hampshire duo are, as expected, included in a 16-man party for the two Tests against the Black Caps at the end of March.

Gary Ballance, Jake Ball and Tom Curran have all been left out after their Ashes tour.

Lancashire captain Liam Livingstone is the notable inclusion, having been called up for the first time.

National selector James Whitaker, said: “Liam has been a player that we have been impressed with for quite some time, having performed well in the county system with Lancashire and over the past couple of years with the England Lions.

“He is a very talented and tough cricketer who has the ideal qualities and character to be successful in the Test arena.

“During the recent Lions tour of Australia, he was a standout performer and showed a lot of maturity in his attitude and put in some strong performances.

“We are particularly impressed with the way he bats against spin and is equally adept against the seamers.

The two Tests will be played from March 22-26 and March 30- April 3 - finishing ten days before Hampshire’s opening Specsavers County Championship match against Worcestershire at The Ageas Bowl.

England squad: Root, Moeen Ali, Anderson, Bairstow, Broad, Cook, Crane, Foakes, Livingstone, Malan, Overton, Stokes, Stoneman, Vince, Woakes, Wood.