DANNY Briggs will be hoping to force his way back into the England international t20 team next week.

The 22-year-old Hampshire spinner has been named in a 14-man squad for two games against New Zealand at Surrey’s Oval HQ next Tuesday and Thursday.

The Isle of Wight born youngster has won three senior t20 caps in his career so far since making his debut against South Africa last September.

Briggs, who will miss Hampshire’s t20 Cup season curtain-raiser against Surrey at The Ageas Bowl next Wednesday, is joined in the squad by fellow spin bowler James Tredwell.

Also included, but only for the second game next Thursday, is Briggs’ former Hampshire colleague Kevin Pietersen.

Pietersen, who has been out of cricket with a knee injury since March, was expected to make his comeback for Surrey against Yorkshire at Headingley in an LV= County Championship match starting today.

But the England and Wales Cricket Board also announced that the mercurial batsman will be available to captain Eoin Morgan for the second t20 international.

That also rules Pietersen, below, out of a potential Ageas Bowl return with Surrey next Wednesday.

That is a blow for Hampshire, as Pietersen’s presence would surely have swelled the crowd – even though Surrey are already likely to field Australian legend Ricky Ponting and ex-Hampshire record breaker Glenn Maxwell.

Briggs opened the bowling for England in his first two t20 matches, taking 1-16 against South Africa off two overs and 1-36 off four overs against New Zealand in a World Cup Super Eights tie last September.

On Briggs’ last senior appearance in a t20, in India last December, he conceded 18 runs off his only over.

Briggs was named in England’s ODI squads for the subsequent tour of New Zealand, but he had to withdraw due to an ankle injury which had ended his Indian tour early.

With 60 t20 wickets to his name, Briggs is Hampshire’s second highest wicket-taker in the shortest form of the game. Only Dimi Mascarenhas, with 82, has taken more.

Tredwell, though, has taken 80 t20 wickets in his career and can probably expect to be England’s first choice slow bowler next week, especially after his performances in the Champions Trophy.

England's regular t20 captain Stuart Broad is, as expected, rested from the short series – along with the majority of the likely first-choice squad for this summer's Ashes, which begins on July 10.

Pietersen will join two as yet uncapped players – Yorkshire batsman Gary Ballance and Morgan’s fellow Irishman, Warwickshire pace bowler Boyd Rankin – in the reckoning to face the Kiwis.

England Twenty20 squad: EJG Morgan (Captain), GS Ballance, RS Bopara, DR Briggs JC Buttler (wkt), JW Dernbach, AD Hales, MJ Lumb, *KP Pietersen, WB Rankin, BA Stokes, JC Tredwell, CR Woakes, LJ Wright. * Pietersen for June 27 match only.