Unclear about bowler Will O’Rourke’s fitness for the next test in Christchurch, New Zealand captain Tim Southee did not completely rule out the possibility of Neil Wagner being called up from retirement for the second Test against Australia. New Zealand and Australia will meet for the final Test in Christchurch, beginning on Friday. O’Rourke left the field five balls into his eighth over on the third day, complaining of left hamstring tightness. He did not play again in Australia’s second innings, but on day four he batted and was able to run between the wickets even though he was never asked to sprint. The crowd responded enthusiastically when Wagner entered the game as a replacement fielder.
After selecting four fast bowlers on a Basin Reserve pitch that spun more than he had ever seen in his 16-year Test career, Southee conceded that New Zealand might have made a mistake in their selection for the second straight Test match.
In the past, Hagley Oval in Christchurch has been less conducive to spin bowling and even better for pace bowling. Wagner retired after learning he would not be selected for either of the Test matches against Australia, so if O’Rourke is ruled out, New Zealand will be without a fourth seamer in the squad.
However, Southee was specifically asked after the game whether Wagner could be called up for Christchurch now that New Zealand was behind 1-0 in the series, and he did not rule it out.
“We haven’t had a lot of discussions as yet. We’ll see how Will scrubs up. The physio hasn’t sort of put a timeframe on it or how bad it is. We’ll just wait and see how Will goes over the next couple of days. I’m sure there’ll be an update in the next 24 hours. We obviously have to go on and make a decision on who comes in and what role we sort of see that playing out in Christchurch,” Southee said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
“[Wagner’s] had a great reception here over the last week where he got a couple of moments on the field and obviously he’s been a fan favourite for a long time,” he added.
In light of the fact that Trent Boult has only recently started playing T20 cricket, the New Zealand skipper did rule out the chance of his recall.
“I don’t think his loading is up to it on the back of T20,” Southee said.
Southee believes that Scott Kuggeleijn, the fourth seamer for New Zealand, performed admirably in just his second Test match. In the first innings, Kuggeleijn claimed two wickets but gave up 75 runs in 20 overs with just one maiden.
“He bowled well at times. It was tough out there with that wind, the job he did, picked up a couple of wickets in the first innings which were crucial. It’s obviously a very small sample size in the two matches he’s played and there’s a bit of time, a year between Test matches as well. It’s not easy to come in and make an impact straight away,” Southee said.
The difference in the game, according to Southee, was Cameron Green’s 174 not out and his 116-run stand with Josh Hazlewood at the 10th wicket on the second morning. He told Green that his team’s strategy was flawed.
“I think we probably could have tried to get Green out on that second morning. I think the way he played that that night before, we thought he was probably going to come out and play some shots. But we probably could look to get him out and on that second morning and make things slightly easier than what we did,” he said.
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