Will O’Rourke’s hamstring injury has left the door open for a potential return for the “retired” Neil Wagner for the second and final Test against Australia in Christchurch starting on Friday.
If so, it would be the culmination of a hugely dramatic few days for Wagner, who became emotional when announcing that he was stepping down from international cricket before the first Test at the Basin Reserve which Australia comfortably won by 172 runs today.
Wagner’s retirement came after he was included in the Test squad but was told he would not be selected in the XIs for Wellington and Hagley Oval. He took the field at the sold-out Basin Reserve several times as a substitute fielder to huge acclaim from the big crowd.
Should O’Rourke be ruled out and the selectors stay with their four-seam attack, along with two spinners in Glenn Phillips, who took his first five-wicket Test bag against the Aussies, and Rachin Ravindra, then Wagner may come into the frame. It would be a hugely popular decision.
Kyle Jamieson sat out the first Test due to a back stress fracture and must be seen as an unlikely starter, and New Zealand skipper Tim Southee all but ruled out Trent Boult, who took part in the two T20I defeats to Australia at Eden Park (where he didn’t take a wicket) but hasn’t played a Test since June, 2022.
Another option would be to include specialist spinner Mitch Santner but that appears increasingly unlikely given Phillips’ ability with the ball in Wellington.
“We’ll go to Hagley and assess the wicket - hopefully a little better than we did here,” Southee said in the aftermath of the big defeat today.
“It’s a ground that has offered options for those four seamers in the past but we’ll have a closer look and make a decision.”
Asked about Wagner, Southee said: “He’s had a great reception here over the last week and got a couple of moments in the field and has obviously been a fan favourite for a long time. Obviously, the Test match has only just finished, we’ll see how Will scrubs up and go from there.”
He said O’Rourke would be monitored and an update given in 24 hours.
Of Boult, Southee said: “I don’t think his loading is up to it on the back of T20 cricket. Obviously, he’s a world class player and has been for a long time but it’s been a couple of years since he’s chucked the whites on so I imagine it would be a bridge too far to get him ready in a couple of days’ time.”
Southee said one of the biggest regrets from the Test was their strategy against Cam Green, who top-scored with 174 not out in Australia’s first innings, on the morning of the second day after New Zealand had finished the first day in good shape.
Australia ended the the first day at 279-9, with Green unbeaten on 103 and tailender Josh Hazlewood at the crease.
They finished on 383, the record-breaking 10th wicket partnership of 116 effectively taking the game away from New Zealand, although the home side did well to restrict Australia to 164 in their second innings after managing only 179 in reply.
The Black Caps were predictably rolled for 196 in their second innings, offspinner Nathan Lyon taking six wickets for a haul of 10 for the Test.
“Looking back, that last-wicket partnership hurt us a lot,” Southee said. “Cam Green’s innings … he played an absolute blinder. For a young guy to come in and play the way he did, a chanceless 170-odd and that was probably the difference.
“With the benefit of hindsight, we probably could have done things slightly different on that second-day morning.”
That would include giving Phillips, who didn’t bowl at all in the first innings, the ball.
“There are a number of things you look back and would do things slightly differently but that was the decision we made at the time and we probably got it slightly wrong on that second morning.
“We probably could have tried to get Green out on that second morning. The way he played that night before we thought he was probably going to come out and play some shots. We probably could have looked to get him out… and make things slightly easier than what we did.”
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