Wellington [New Zealand] : With a decision yet to be made on the fourth bowler against Australia for the opening Test, New Zealand captain Tim Southee said that due to the heavy rain in Wellington on Wednesday, he was unable to inspect the pitch and stated that a decision on the final XI would not be made until Thursday.
The Kiwis will be looking to bounce back in the Test after suffering a whitewash in the three-match T20I series.
“The majority of the team is settled. We’ll have one final look, obviously, with the weather around and one final decision on whether an extra seamer or a spinner will play, but obviously, with Devon Conway’s unfortunate injury, Will Young comes in and will open the batting,” Southee was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
New Zealand suffered a blow on the eve of their home Test series with news that experienced opener Devon Conway will miss the first Test due to injury. Southee, Matt Henry, and William O’Rourke will be the three seamers, while the fourth bowler is still to be determined.
“Injuries are part of cricket. But it also presents opportunities for other people. Will Young’s coming off 60-odd not out in the Test in Hamilton against South Africa,” he added.
Earlier on Tuesday, New Zealand coach Gary Stead admitted that not selecting a specialist spinner in Hamilton was a mistake. Southee stated that the presence of Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips in the top six gives him confidence that they have spin-bowling alternatives if they choose four-seamers.
“Yeah [it does], and I think you throw in Daryl Mitchell as well as another bowling option. It’s just great to have those guys, like the Australian side has the likes of Cam Green and Mitch Marsh. It helps to balance the side when you’ve got guys in the top seven that are able to help out with the ball as well,” Southee said.
Southee expressed his excitement to see O’Rourke unleashed in Australia’s top order following a great performance in his Test debut against South Africa.
“I think what we saw in Hamilton was something special from a young guy. He’s shown glimpses and there’s been something about him. We’ve obviously watched him closely over the last couple of years and he’s got a lot of attributes that we liked and we saw that in his Test debut. It’s exciting to see those guys make that transition from domestic cricket to international cricket and I’m sure he’ll have a long future at the highest level,” added Southee.
Test squad: Tim Southee (c), Tom Blundell (wk), Henry Nicholls Matt Henry, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Neil Wagner (retired), Kane Williamson and Will Young.
