New Zealand pacer Trent Boult will not be available for the second and final Test against South Africa to be played at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch, starting February 25.
Boult was not in the squad for the opening fixture as his wife awaited the birth of their third child. Although the left-armer will join his team-mates to bowl in the nets, but the lack of recent bowling deemed him to be put under an injury risk.
“[He] is not in a position to be available with his loads and where he’s at. Since his wife has been having the baby, 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,” said New Zealand coach Gary Stead as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
With Boult missing from the action in the upcoming Test, pacer Matt Henry has retained his place as New Zealand have not made any change to their 15-member squad.
Notably, Boult’s absence in the first Test paved the way for Henry’s inclusion in the XI, who grabbed the opportunity from both hands. The right-armer picked up a seven-fer in the first innings, followed by a two-wicket haul in the second essay, to set up Black Cap’s dominant victory by an innings and 276 runs over the Proteas.
“He’s always been a good bowler, and sometimes you need that opportunity to strike and make the most it. He bowled beautifully throughout the Test, but I thought the whole bowling unit bowled really well together and thought that was one of the reasons we were so convincing,” added Stead.
