NZ vs SA: New Zealand’s pacer Trent Boult will not feature in the second test against South Africa at the Hagley Oval this week. The reason behind resting Boult is that NZC is unwilling to risk an injury to the fast bowler who didn’t have had sufficient training time to bear the workload of a Test match.
Trent Boult didn’t feature in New Zealand’s first test against South Africa as he was with his wife to welcome their third child. Though Trent will train with the New Zealand squad for this week’s test, he will next play for New Zealand only in June on their England tour. Boult will also miss the New Zealand tour of the Netherlands commencing in March due to his IPL duties.
Trent Boult who was previously a part of the Mumbai Indians franchise has been bought by Rajasthan Royals for a whopping 8 crore in the recently concluded IPL 2022 mega auction. Trent Boult will now don the jersey of his new franchise Rajasthan Royals & will deliver spell bounding performances in the IPL 2022, commencing from the last week of March.
“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.”
Trent Boult’s absence in the first Test handed Matt Henry a golden opportunity to feature in the Playing XI & he made the most of it by taking seven wickets in the first innings thereby laying the foundation of New Zealand’s stunning win over South Africa by an innings and 276 runs.
“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.
“He hits the top of off stump and was regularly in that area and he asked hard, hard questions of the batsmen and did it for long periods of time.”
With the conditions in Christchurch expected to remain the same for the second Test, New Zealand avoided the need to bring in a specialist spinner & has decided to walk with the same Playing XI in the NZ vs SA second Test on February 25.
“We considered a [frontline] spin option but didn’t feel as though we needed it on this pitch, through history and the way it was looking after the last Test match,” Stead said.
“South Africa isn’t a bad side. Yes, we got on the right side of it this time, but we expect them to come back and come back strongly. We’ll certainly be ready for that as well.”
New Zealand will next take on South Africa in the final test of the series on February 25 at the Hagley Oval stadium. Heading into the second test New Zealand will eye to script history by registering their first-ever series win over South Africa while visitors will try their best to save their pride & end the series in a draw. Who will get successful in their motives is a wait & watch thing.
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