Williamson’s chances of playing looking slim
Kane Williamson is shaping as an unlikely starter for the final match of the home summer.
The Black Caps captain and master batsman, who suffered a minor pectoral muscle tear on his left side, while fielding in the second test in Wellington, wasn’t at training at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval yesterday.
Williamson is expected to be with the team today, but is in a race against time to be fit for the dead rubber third test against Bangladesh, starting tomorrow.
He will have to prove his fitness during today’s final training run, but all signs are pointing towards a test debut for Central Districts batsman Will Young, who would bat in Williamson’s customary No 3 spot. Young would become New Zealand’s 276th test cricketer should he debut.
The outlook appears more positive for wicketkeeper BJ Watling, who suffered a hamstring strain in warm-ups on day five in Wellington and sat out the last day of New Zealand’s innings and 12-run rout.
Watling stretched by himself to start training yesterday, while his team-mates played a hybrid game of football and volleyball to warm up. Wellington’s Tom Blundell, who played two tests against the West Indies in December 2017, is in Christchurch on standby.
With only 79 days until New Zealand’s opening match of the World Cup against Sri Lanka on June 1, the Black Caps will likely err on the side of caution with Williamson.
Black Caps batting coach Craig McMillan, who will coach his final match on home soil in this test before bowing out after the World Cup, said they would make a final call on Williamson and Watling after training today.
‘‘I don’t like putting percentages on those types of things. Both have improved since Wellington,’’ McMillan said. ‘‘We’re hopeful of both [playing], but we’ll wait and see how they pull through [on Friday].’’
Should Williamson sit out the test, veteran paceman Tim Southee, who captained the side on day five in Wellington, is set to lead the team again.
Williamson hasn’t missed a test since October 2016, against India in Kolkata, when he was forced to pull out with injury with Ross Taylor taking over the captaincy duties at short notice.
New Zealand have won a record five test series in a row and risen to No 2 in the ICC test rankings for the first time.
They haven’t lost a home test since against South Africa in Wellington in March 2017 and McMillan said they were determined to end the home season in style.
‘‘It’s the last test match for the summer and the last test for a while for this group as well before we get into a heap of one-day white ball cricket.
‘‘Within the group they’re very hungry to finish off what’s been a very long season successfully and with a good performance. I’ve got no concerns there.’’
Since losing the home test series to South Africa in 2017, New Zealand have lost just one test from 11 matches in all conditions, against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates in November. They have won eight of those matches and drawn two others.