Wellington [New Zealand], March 3 : Unclear about bowler Will O’Rourke’s fitness for the next test in Christchurch, New Zealand captain Tim Southee did not completely rule out the possibility of Neil Wagner being called up from retirement for the second Test against Australia.
New Zealand and Australia will meet for the final Test in Christchurch, beginning on Friday.
O’Rourke left the field five balls into his eighth over on the third day, complaining of left hamstring tightness. He did not play again in Australia’s second innings, but on day four he batted and was able to run between the wickets even though he was never asked to sprint. The crowd responded enthusiastically when Wagner entered the game as a replacement fielder.
After selecting four fast bowlers on a Basin Reserve pitch 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 straight 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 either of the Test matches against Australia, so if O’Rourke is ruled out, New Zealand will be without a fourth seamer in the squad.
However, Southee was specifically 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. 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.