WELLINGTON: New Zealand named an unchanged team Thursday as they look to hit back in the second Test against England, resisting the urge to recall batsman Will Young or field a specialist spinner.

A day after the visitors announced they would play the same XI that won the series-opener in Christchurch by eight wickets, the Black Caps followed suit for the match starting in Wellington on Friday.

Four seamers will spearhead the home attack despite spin being the decisive factor in the most recent Test at the Basin Reserve.

Australia’s Nathan Lyon took 10 wickets in a 172-run defeat of New Zealand in March and England will be looking for success from their own off-spinner, Shoaib Bashir, who claimed four first-innings wickets in Christchurch.

Skipper Tom Latham defended New Zealand’s decision to again overlook his squad’s lone spinner, Mitchell Santner, who was highly effective during the recent 3-0 sweep away in India.

Latham said he expected the green-looking pitch to suit pace but believes he has insurance in the form of spinning all-rounders Glenn Phillips and Rachin Ravindra if the pitch breaks up.

“We saw last time that the wicket took a little bit of spin and that surprised us a little bit,” Latham told reporters. “But going by this surface and the first-class games played here, the balance we’ve gone in with is right for this wicket. We have some spin options in the top seven anyway.” Top-order batsman Young was named player of the series against India after scoring 244 runs at an average just under 50, but the 32-year-old was replaced by the fit-again Kane Williamson in Christchurch.

Opener Devon Conway and wicketkeeper Tom Blundell have retained their places despite lean form.

“Will (Young) obviously played fantastically well in India and certainly did nothing wrong,” Latham said. “Having someone like Kane coming back into the fold obviously speaks for itself. Youngy’s a great team man and he’ll be ready to go if his opportunity comes up in this series.”

NEW ZEALAND: Tom Latham (captain), Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Glenn Phillips, Nathan Smith, Tim Southee, Matt Henry, Will O’Rourke.

Published in Dawn, December 6th, 2024