(Reuters) – Wellington’s uncapped fast bowler Ben Sears has been called up to replace Will O’Rourke in New Zealand’s squad for the second test against Australia, ending fans’ hopes of a Neil Wagner return. O’Rourke’s hamstring injury ruled him out of the Christchurch match set to begin on Friday, leading to speculation about Wagner coming out of retirement to assist the Black Caps in leveling the series.
New Zealand coach Gary Stead dismissed the idea of a Wagner comeback, stating that the selectors opted for a “like-for-like” replacement for O’Rourke by choosing Sears, who boasts an average of 27.03 in 19 first-class matches. Stead explained, “We wanted someone with some genuine pace. Ben has shown that and has had recent success against Australia as well, which factored into the decision to select him as the replacement for Will.”
Stead also mentioned that the team bid farewell to Wagner in a proper manner, celebrating his contributions, and Wagner himself was content with the decision surrounding his retirement. The first test in Wellington saw New Zealand suffer a 172-run defeat within four days, as they went in with an all-seam attack on a pitch that favored spin bowling.
Australia’s spinner Nathan Lyon claimed a 10-wicket haul at the Basin Reserve, while New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips, who usually bowls off-spin as a part-time option, took five wickets in the second innings. The decision to exclude spin-bowling all-rounder Mitch Santner in favor of the fourth seamer Scott Kuggeleijn was criticized by selectors, especially after Santner was also overlooked for the second test against South Africa in Hamilton.
New Zealand managed to win against the Proteas with Santner missing out, but their defeat in Wellington highlighted the error in judgment by selectors. Stead acknowledged that the selectors misread the pitch conditions at the Basin Reserve, admitting, “Yes, it is a concern. Yeah, definitely. If we knew it was going to spin, not so much the spin but more the bounce, then Santner would have played. So yeah, we got that wrong. Put our hand up around that as well. It’s not what we expected, not what we’ve seen from the Basin Reserve in the past either.”
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Toby Davis)
