[ad_1]
Matt Henry, retired from the Black Caps market, and Pakistani all-rounder Faheem Ashraf sported beaming smiles, albeit for slightly different reasons, as a result of Neil Wagner’s absence for the second cricket event in Christchurch.
While Henry never likes to see a teammate injured, Wagner’s broken two fingers has given the 29-year-old Cantabrian a chance to add to his 12 tests, the last of which was against Australia in Sydney ago. a year, when the second and The final test begins on Sunday.
Henry, a highly accomplished ODI bowler for New Zealand, has been unable to enter the test lineup regularly since his debut in 2015, averaging a 50 tick on the red ball.
SPARK SPORT
Neil Wagner woke up in pain during the tea break on the fourth day, but did so later.
But after a thumb injury in October that put him out for the early part of the season, he recently found some form for NZ A, scoring 6-53 against Pakistan A.
READ MORE:
* Australian spinner Adam Zampa will miss the Big Bash League game for swearing
* Black Caps vs Pakistan: Mitchell Santner Makes Vital Contribution to Pushing Test Case
* Enigma for Black Caps after heroic Neil Wagner ruled out second test against Pakistan
It’s a decent shot to play on its own turf at Hagley Oval, which always offers bowlers a bit of pace, and this week is no different.
“Obviously it’s a shame what happened to Waggy’s foot, but I’m very excited to be here at home again on the team,” said Henry, who is probably racing off-roaders Daryl Mitchell and Mitchell Santner for a spot in the team. XI, with one of those three players you will probably lose the selection.
“The guys have also been doing so well that coming and joining the team while they are doing so well is great.
“[Hagley Oval] it’s a great place … it’s a great terrain and I’m looking forward to it, if the opportunity arises to be there. “
Henry noted that the workhorse Wagner, the world’s third test bowler, would be missed by New Zealand, but Ashraf was clearly not bothered by his absence, especially on a Hagley Oval field that looked “greener, more dynamic. and faster “than the tourists they encountered in their 101-race loss at Bay Oval.
“Wagner is a good test bowler. He is an experienced pitcher who creates difficulties for all the teams he plays against, ”Ashraf said. “If Wagner is not in the team, you should be happy and it is a great relief for Pakistan.
Ashraf spoke about Pakistan taking a “new mindset” in this event and eliminating the small mistakes that cost them at Mt Maunganui as they try to square the series and advance up the World Test Championship table.
The WTC is also front and center for the Black Caps, who must win to maintain their charge towards the final at Lord’s later in the year.
That’s also not the only milestone on the periphery of this final test of the local summer.
A win would be their six in a row, a New Zealand record, and it would also be the first time they’ve completed a perfect season at home in a multi-touring summer, having beaten the West Indies 2-0 before the Pakistan series.
They would also officially move to No. 1 in the International Cricket Council’s Test Rankings for the first time, with a win or draw against Pakistan.
Not that any of that talk was a focus of attention for coach Gary Stead.
“Every test match that we participate in, it’s just about winning that and doing everything we can to win that test match and I really don’t want us to change that mindset right now.
“If we start getting too far ahead of ourselves and start thinking about things that might happen in the future, you can get lost in what you are doing right now.
“For us, it will just be about playing each ball as it comes.”
Black Caps v Pakistan: Second Test at Hagley Oval, Christchurch
Black Caps Template: Kane Williamson (c), Tom Latham, Tom Blundell, Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Matt Henry, Trent Boult, Will Young.
Pakistan Squad: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Abid Ali, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imran Butt, Mohammad Abbas, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Sohail Khan, Yasir Shah, Naseem Shah, Zafar Gohar.
Referees: Chris Gaffaney and Chris Brown. Third referee: Wayne Knights. Fourth official: Shaun Haig.
TAB probabilities: NZ $ 1.34, Pakistan $ 6.70, tie $ 4.80.
Test match broadcast in Spark sport with live blog coverage on Stuff from 11 in the morning every day.
