New Zealand skipper Latham believes he has insurance in the form of spinning all-rounders Phillips and Rachin, in pic., if the pitch breaks up.
| Photo Credit: AFP
New Zealand named an unchanged team on Thursday as it looks to hit back in the second Test against England, resisting the urge to recall batsman Will Young or field a specialist spinner.
A day after the visitor announced it would play the same XI that won the series-opener in Christchurch by eight wickets, the Black Caps followed suit for the match starting in Wellington on Friday.
Four seamers will spearhead the home attack despite spin being the decisive factor in the most recent Test at the Basin Reserve.
Australia’s Nathan Lyon took 10 wickets in a 172-run defeat of New Zealand in March and England will be looking for success from its own off-spinner, Shoaib Bashir, who claimed four first-innings wickets in Christchurch.
Skipper Tom Latham defended New Zealand’s decision to again overlook his squad’s lone spinner, Mitchell Santner, who was highly effective during the recent 3-0 sweep away in India.
Latham said he expected the green-looking pitch to suit pace but believes he has insurance in the form of spinning all-rounders Glenn Phillips and Rachin Ravindra if the pitch breaks up.
“We saw last time that the wicket took a little bit of spin and that surprised us a little bit,” Latham told reporters. “But going by this surface and the First Class games played here, the balance we’ve gone in with is right for this wicket. We have some spin options in the top seven anyway.”
Top-order batsman Young was named player-of-the-series against India after scoring 244 runs at just under 50, but the 32-year-old was replaced by the fit-again Kane Williamson in Christchurch.
Opener Devon Conway and wicketkeeper Tom Blundell have retained their places despite lean form.
Meanwhile, England captain Ben Stokes talked up a healthy rivalry between Joe Root and Harry Brook, who are one and two respectively in the updated ICC Test batting rankings. Veteran Root retained the top spot while Brook is up two places to second following his dynamic 171 in Christchurch.
The third and final Test will be in Hamilton from December 14.
The squads: New Zealand: Tom Latham (Capt.), Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Glenn Phillips, Nathan Smith, Tim Southee, Matt Henry, Will O’Rourke.
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ollie Pope, Ben Stokes (Capt.), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Shoaib Bashir.
Published – December 06, 2024 06:52 am IST
