New Zealand suffer a litany of injury issues amid ongoing WI Test as Blundell, Smith, Henry sustain injuries.
New Zealand’s injury troubles deepened during the opening Test against West Indies in Christchurch, with key personnel continuing to drop out of action. Strike bowler Matt Henry, seam-bowling allrounder Nathan Smith, and first-choice wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell all found themselves unavailable as the match unfolded.
Blundell picked up a hamstring problem while batting on the first day and has since been ruled out of the second Test, scheduled to start on December 10 at the Basin Reserve, a ground where he plays his domestic cricket. Smith, meanwhile, was unable to contribute with either ball or in the field on the fourth day due to a side issue. Henry also exited the match after 35 overs and took no further part in the final session, later being taken to a nearby hospital for scans on his calf. He had bowled 11 overs the previous day and claimed the wicket of Roston Chase.
With both frontline seamers unavailable, New Zealand were forced to lean on the occasional off-spin of Michael Bracewell and the left-arm spin of Rachin Ravindra. Their troubles were compounded by the absence of middle-order pillar Daryl Mitchell, who failed to recover from a groin strain in time for the series opener. Bowling coach Jacob Oram confirmed that the team is still waiting on the medical assessments for both Henry and Smith.
“They’ve had scans and it’s really disappointing for them,” Oram said. “I feel for them and I have a lot of empathy for them. We’re basically waiting for the report to come back to decide what we’re going to be doing not only this Test match but the series going forward. So it’s a wait and see and you always have your fingers crossed but with just one day left and a quick turnaround, we’ll wait and see.”
With Blundell sidelined through injury, Tom Latham took on the dual responsibility of leading the side and standing behind the stumps for both innings at Hagley Oval. His sharp work in the field brought him four catches during West Indies’ first innings, which played a key role in securing a 64-run advantage for New Zealand. He then built on that position with a marathon knock of 145 from 250 deliveries — his first century in Test cricket in three years. That innings also carried him past a major career milestone, making him only the fifth New Zealander to cross 6,000 runs in the format.
“[The body is] not too bad,” Latham told the host broadcaster after stumps on day three. “I’ll try to get the recovery but a really good day and pleased to be in the position we are.
“I guess that [Smith’s injury] is another thing but that hampers the decision [declaration] but it was nice to see a little bit of spin out there when we were batting and that’s an encouraging sign. We’ll chip in when a man goes down and the guys are looking to put a big shift in.”