Left-arm pacer Trent Boult will not be the part of New Zealand squad in the second Test match to be played against South Africa at the Hagley Oval this week. Boult missed the series opener, with him and his wife welcoming their third child. In his absence, Matt Henry capped off a memorable Test with figures of 9/55 against the Proteas.
The 32-year old pacer was expected to mark his return in the second Test. However, New Zealand head coach Gary Stead confirmed that the hosts won’t take a risk playing Boult, who hasn’t had sufficient training time to bear the workload of a Test match.
Boult isn’t in a position to be available for second Test Match: Coach Gary Stead
“Trent Boult isn’t in a position to be available for this Test match with his loads and where he’s at, at the moment,” Stead said on Monday (February 21). “Since [he was on paternity leave] as well he’s missed out on a lot of opportunities to play cricket and bowl. We just felt the risk of him playing was far too great at the moment to do that to him,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Stead as saying.
Boult’s absence in the first Test paved the way for Matt Henry’s inclusion in the XI, an opportunity he grabbed sensationally by taking a seven-fer in the first innings and thereby setting the tone for New Zealand’s dominant victory by an innings and 276 runs – only their fifth win against South Africa.
“He’s always been a good bowler and sometimes you need that opportunity to strike and make the most of it and he certainly made the most of the opportunity that was in front of him,” Stead said about Henry.
New Zealand has retained an unchanged 15-player squad for the second Test and the host will be looking to wrap up the series against a meek looking Proteas side. The Black Caps have never won a series against South Africa.
