Image Credit- AFP
With Will O’Rourke’s
hamstring to be evaluated in the coming day, New Zealand captain Tim Southee
could not completely rule out the possibility of Neil Wagner being brought up
from retirement for the second Test against Australia in Christchurch.
On the third day, O’Rourke exited the pitch five balls into his eighth over due
to left hamstring tightness. He did not come out onto the pitch for the entire
of Australia’s second innings, but on day four he batted and was able to run,
though he was never forced to sprint, between the wickets.
After selecting four
fast bowlers on a Basin Reserve surface that spun more than he had ever seen in
his 16-year Test career, Southee conceded that New Zealand might have made a
mistake in their selection for the second consecutive Test match.
In the past, Hagley Oval in Christchurch has been less conducive to spin
bowling and even better for pace bowling. Wagner retired after learning he
would not be selected for any of the Test matches against Australia, so if
O’Rourke is ruled out, New Zealand will be without a fourth seamer in the team.
However, Southee was directly asked after the game whether Wagner could be
called up for Christchurch now that New Zealand was behind 1-0 in the series,
and he did not rule it out.
“We haven’t had
a lot of discussions as yet,” Southee said. “We’ll see how Will
scrubs up. The physio hasn’t sort of put a timeframe on it or how bad it is.
We’ll just wait and see how Will goes over the next couple of days. I’m sure
there’ll be an update in the next 24 hours
“We obviously have to go on and make a decision on who comes in and what
role we sort of see that playing out in Christchurch.
“[Wagner’s] had a great reception here over the last week where he got a
couple of moments on the field and obviously he’s been a fan favorite for a
long time.”