NZ coach hints Boult could be available for Australia T20Is but ‘not 100% sure’
Deivarayan Muthu
Gary Stead, the New Zealand coach, is “confident” captain Kane Williamson will recover in time for the start of the first Test against South Africa on February 4 at Mt Maunganui. Williamson had played just two T20Is in the recent five-match series against Pakistan before being ruled out with a hamstring injury.
“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Stedt said. “He’s probably got another couple of days before he starts training again and it was a little bugger, which is good. So we didn’t want to compound it and we didn’t see the point in compounding it with the important He’s obviously a key player and we know that and we want to make sure we gave him every opportunity to be available.”
Stead is also optimistic that wicket-keeper batsman Tom Blundell will be fit for the first game of the Test series against South Africa. Blundell has not played for New Zealand since the Napier ODI in December last year. He is currently working his way back from a lower body injury and will likely return to action for the Wellington Firebirds if they knock out the Super Smash.
If Blundell is not fit for the Mount Maunganui Test, Cam Fletcher, the Auckland wicketkeeper, or Dane Cleaver, Williamson’s cousin who plays for Central Districts in domestic cricket, could be involved. Both Fletcher and Cleaver are uncapped in Test cricket.
“It’s something we’re talking about again right now: what are the options if Tom is wrong,” Stedt said. “If it’s an individual test, you keep it or do it a little bit differently and keep the team similar. We have different options, but these guys are the guys at the top of our list.”
Boult could return for Australia T20Is at home
Stead also hinted that Trent Boult, who is now free, could be in the selection box for the three-match T20I series at home to Australia, which precedes the T20 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean. But Stead does not see the left-armer returning quickly for the Tests against South Africa, especially given his lack of recent first-class experience.
Boult is currently in action for MI Emirates in the ILT20 in the UAE and before that, he was in the Abu Dhabi T10 league with the Deccan Gladiators. The ILT20 ends on February 17 in Dubai and New Zealand will face Australia in the first T20I in Wellington on February 21.
“I’ve been texting with him lately [Saturday] night really,” Stedt said. “Trent and I are going to have a conversation this week about the future and what that looks like for him and where it fits for us as well. We still have them, but we’ll be hooking up this week and getting them done. He could be available, but I’m not 100% sure.
“I’ll have a chat with Trent again, but at the moment, I think probably not. It’s very difficult to see how you go from a T20 diet back to Test cricket without any cricket before that.”
In Boult’s absence, New Zealand have cast their net of selection to find new fast bowlers. Stead was pleased with the performance of rookie Ben Shears, who bowled with serious heat and took four wickets in two games against Pakistan. Lockie Ferguson also impressed against Pakistan after returning from injury.
“I thought the bowling team was outstanding throughout,” Stead said. “When you look back at the start of the series, we had Sears, giving him a bit more exposure at international level and then he and Lockie rotated in. I think they both bowled beautifully and through Southee, Mile and Henry bowled excellent spells and was well supported by Mitch [Mitchell Santner] and Ish [Sodhi] also. So I think the bowling was pretty good. they were precise and exacting. They have put a lot of pressure on Pakistan.”
NZ wary of second string SA
While South Africa’s senior players will be in action in the SA20, a makeshift Test squad will tour New Zealand for two Tests in February, which are part of the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. The 14-man squad includes just seven capped players but Stead refused to take them lightly, suggesting their hunger to prove a point could make them a dangerous matchup.
“I can assure you one thing with South Africa – the team they bring here will still have experience and they will be hardened guys who have played a lot of first-class cricket,” Stead said. “They’ll have a point to prove as well – ‘Hey, we’ve got to be here’ – and I think that makes them as dangerous as having a full side here. So we’re certainly not going to take them lightly. We’ve never we’ve never won a Test series so that’s the challenge ahead of us.”
Deivarayan Muthu is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo