Scene is set for return of Wagner
Southee leaves open possibility of calling on veteran seamer
The Black Caps offered no resistance in the final stages of the first test while their most belligerent player watched from the sidelines. Now, facing an injury concern ahead of the second match against Australia, Neil Wagner could be in contention for a shock return.
New Zealand captain Tim Southee left open that possibility following his side’s 172-run defeat at the Basin Reserve, a day-four collapse sealing the result on Sunday.
Chasing a record 369 for an improbable victory, the hosts were again undone by veteran offspinner Nathan Lyon (6-65), losing their last seven wickets for 85 runs.
Southee conceded his side had misread home conditions for the second straight test, opting to play four seamers and watching as Lyon completed a 10-wicket haul. It was a similar story in last month’s win over South Africa in Hamilton but the Black Caps remained wedded to their four-prong medium-pace attack.
That is unlikely to change when the second test starts at the traditionally seam-friendly Hagley Oval on Friday — though the identity of the quicks is less certain.
Will O’Rourke was forced off the field with hamstring tightness on the third day and, with an update on the 22-year-old’s fitness expected today, the Black Caps could be short of pace.
Wagner was the sole other seamer in the squad but meant to be released before the second match. Despite the veteran making a tearful retirement announcement before the first test, Southee wouldn’t rule out a hasty change of plan.
The skipper was speaking shortly after the end of play and seemed reluctant when quizzed about what would be an extraordinary reversal, considering Wagner had become increasingly ineffective.
Bowler and captain also clashed at Seddon Park — where a little-used Wagner took two wickets — before his shock retirement ahead of a match in which the 37-year-old was lauded during fielding stints as a sub.
But when asked specifically whether Wagner could be recalled, Southee did not dash that possibility.
“We haven’t had a lot of discussions as yet,” he said. “We’ll see how Will scrubs up — the physio hasn’t put a timeframe on it or how bad it is.
“We obviously have to go and make a decision on who comes in and what role they play in Christchurch.
“[Wagner] has had a great reception here over the last week when he got a couple of moments on the field and obviously he’s been a fan favourite for a long time.”
The reception was different for Scott Kuggeleijn, whose introduction throughout the match was greeted by the crowd in notably muted fashion. While fan sentiment around his selection is mixed, Southee defended what was a middling performance.
“He’s still finding his feet at test level,” the captain said. “He’s bowled well at times — it was tough out there with that wind. He picked up a couple of wickets in the first innings, which were crucial.
“It’s tougher to bowl that fast into the wind, but he’s shown in the past that he’s got an extra yard of pace.”
Kuggeleijn was never clocked much quicker than 130km/h, while his two wickets came from nicking out a struggling Marnus Labuschagne and getting wicketkeeper Alex Carey to drive straight to cover.
But with Kyle Jamieson a longterm absentee and Southee once more discounting the possibility of a return for Trent Boult, the Northern Districts veteran is likely to earn a third cap in Christchurch.
The unfortunate Mitchell Santner might again miss out, when he could well have thrived on turning tracks in Hamilton and Wellington.
“We’ve played a lot of cricket here and I haven’t seen it spin like that,” Southee said. “We’ll go to Hagley and hopefully assess the wicket a little bit better than what we did here.”
One decision Southee would like back was the way his side approached the pivotal second morning at the Basin.
As Cameron Green and Josh Hazlewood built a record 10th-wicket stand, the Black Caps expected the player of the match to go down swinging and offered plenty of bait. But Green (174no) played more traditionally and the test gradually escaped the hosts’ grasp.
“We got things slightly wrong,” Southee said. “That was probably the difference — that last-wicket partnership and how [Green] was able to bat with Josh. With the benefit of hindsight, we probably could’ve done some things differently.”