Canterbury’s Mitchell Hay will replace the injured Tom Blundell in the New Zealand team to play the second Test against the West Indies starting tomorrow in Wellington.
Hay will be the first wicketkeeper to make a Test debut for New Zealand since 2017.
Coach Rob Walter said: “Mitch is a young cricketer who’s already contributed well to the white-ball side. He also has an excellent record at first-class level with Canterbury.
“Having him come into a Test squad is a great moment in his career and we’re really excited to see him play his part.”
Two other potential debutants, bowlers Kristian Clarke and Michael Rae, have been named in the 14-man squad for the Test at the Basin Reserve.
“Kristian and Michael are both identified players of interest with great ability, and have both been good performers for their domestic sides over the past few years,” Walter said.
“They both have good skill with the red-ball, and there’s a great opportunity for them to show that skill for us at the highest level of the game.”
Clarke and Rae join the squad following injuries to Nathan Smith (side) and Matt Henry (calf) during the drawn first Test against the Windies in Christchurch. Blundell strained a hamstring during the Test.
The injuries to front-line quick bowlers Smith and Henry meant the inexperienced Zak Foulkes and Jacob Duffy had to shoulder a large share of the bowling burden late in the West Indies’ second innings.
The good news for the Black Caps is they will be bolstered by the return of Glenn Phillips.
After recovering from a groin injury, Phillips played the first two Plunket Shield fixtures for Otago, scoring 130 runs at an average of 43, and taking nine wickets at an average of 33.
Kyle Jamieson is continuing his red-ball return plan, playing the recent Plunket Shield match for Canterbury against the Central Stags.
A playing XI will be announced during the toss at 10.30am tomorrow.
Black Caps Test squad
Tom Latham (c) – Canterbury, Michael Bracewell – Wellington Firebirds, Kristian Clarke* – Northern Districts, Devon Conway – Wellington Firebirds, Jacob Duffy – Otago Volts, Zak Foulkes – Canterbury, Mitchell Hay* – Canterbury, Daryl Mitchell – Canterbury, Glenn Phillips - Otago Volts, Rachin Ravindra – Wellington Firebirds, Michael Rae* – Canterbury, Blair Tickner – Central Stags, Kane Williamson – Northern Districts, Will Young – Central Stags.
* uncapped Test player.
Unavailable due to injury: Matt Henry (calf), Nathan Smith (side), Tom Blundell (hamstring), Mitchell Santner (groin), Will O’Rourke (back), Matt Fisher (shin).
The second Test against the West Indies will be broadcast live and exclusive on Duke and TVNZ+
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