Tim Southee hints at possible return of Neil Wagner for Christchurch Test

Neil Wagner. (Photo Source: BLACKCAPS/Twitter)

Australia continued their winning streak on their tour of New Zealand as they defeated their Trans-Tasman rivals in the first Test of a two-match series in Wellington by 172 runs on Sunday, March 3. New Zealand skipper Tim Southee didn’t rule out the possibility of recalling Neil Wagner into the playing XI for the second Test after youngster Will O’Rourke suffered a hamstring injury in Wellington during Australia’s second innings.

The veteran left-arm seamer announced his retirement after he was informed that he wouldn’t be included in the playing XI for the ongoing series against the Aussies. Wagner came on as the 12th man to field during the first Test and received a grand ovation from the fans. However, there is a possibility that he could have another bite at the cherry and add to his 260 Test wickets.

After the match, Southee said that O’Rourke’s injury will be monitored over the next few days before a call is made on his participation in the second Test, which begins on Friday, March 8, in Christchurch. O’Rourke walked off the field during Australia’s second innings but did come out to bat on Sunday. Southee acknowledged the love Wagner received from the fans in Wellington.

“We haven’t had a lot of discussions as yet. We’ll see how Will (O’Rourke) 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,” Southee said after New Zealand’s loss in Wellington.

“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 favourite for a long time,” he added.

However, Southee did rule out the possibility of a return for Trent Boult, who played his last Test match in June 2022 against England. The 35-year-old didn’t wish to be too critical of Scott Kuggeleijn’s performance in Wellington, and mentioned that it wasn’t easy for him to play a red-ball game after 12 months.

“He bowled well at times. It was tough out there with that wind, the job he did, picked up a couple of wickets in the first innings which were crucial. It’s obviously a very small sample size in the two matches he’s played and there’s a bit of time, a year between Test matches as well. It’s not easy to come in and make an impact straight away,” Southee noted.

Could’ve tried to get Green out: Southee

Southee admitted that Cameron Green’s stunning 174 not out in the first innings made the difference, and said that the Kiwis could have tried to get him out early on Day 2. The Aussie all-rounder added 116 runs for the last wicket with Josh Hazlewood and helped his team finish on 383.

“I think we probably could have tried to get Green out on that second morning,” he said. “I think the way he played that that night before, we thought he was probably going to come out and play some shots. But we probably could look to get him out and on that second morning and make things slightly easier than what we did,” Southee stated.

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