New Zealand’s injury woes continue as Matt Henry, Mitchell Santner, and Nathan Smith have all been ruled out of the remainder of the home Test series against West Indies. Henry suffers a calf strain, Santner a groin issue, and Smith a side strain, leaving the hosts scrambling for reinforcements ahead of the second Test in Wellington.
Glenn Phillips has been officially added to the Test squad after proving his fitness in the Plunket Shield, while Daryl Mitchell is set to return to the middle order following his substitute fielder role in the first Test. Wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell remains sidelined with a hamstring injury, and Mitchell Hay has been included, potentially making his Test debut.
New seam-bowling allrounder Kristian Clarke earns his maiden Test call-up as a like-for-like replacement for Smith. Clarke, 24, has played 27 first-class matches, taking 77 wickets at 33 and scoring 893 runs at 23.50. He previously featured in New Zealand A’s tour to Bangladesh and the ODI series against England.
With Kyle Jamieson and Will O’Rourke managing return-to-play protocols, New Zealand now face a selection headache for the second Test at Basin Reserve starting November 10. Clarke and Michael Rae, recently added to the squad, could both contend for a debut as the team balances experience and fitness.
The first Test in Christchurch ended in a dramatic draw after West Indies batted out 163.3 overs in the fourth innings, highlighted by Justin Greaves’ 202* and Shai Hope’s 140 to deny the hosts victory.
New Zealand squad for second Test vs West Indies:
Tom Latham (C), Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay (WK), Michael Bracewell, Zak Foulkes, Jacob Duffy, Blair Tickner, Michael Rae, Kristian Clarke
