New Zealand fast-bowler Trent Boult and middle-order mainstay Henry Nicholls are “unlikely” to feature in the Test series opener in England at Lord’s, starting June 2. While Boult is unavailable because of the super quick turnaround from IPL 2022, Nicholls could be ruled out due to a calf injury that he is still recovering from.
Nicholls had picked up the calf injury during a pre-tour preparation camp in NZ earlier in May and subsequently missed both of the tourists’ warm-up matches against Sussex and a County Select XI.
The left-hander has been integral to the Test set-up for a while now, playing his part in keeping the Kiwis competitive at home and abroad. The 30-year-old averages a healthy 40.38 for his 2,544 runs over 46 Tests for his country, with his tally featuring eight hundreds and 12 fifties.
Last year, when New Zealand arrived in the United Kingdom for their successful Test series win against England, which preceded the World Test Championship final victory over India, Nicholls played his part in giving the Kiwis a morale-boosting start with a critical first-innings 61 at Lord’s in a draw versus the hosts.
The player, though, looks set to miss the return to the home of cricket, with Otago’s Michael Bracewell brought into the squad as cover for Nicholls, who also contracted Covid upon his arrival to the UK this time. In his absence due to delayed recovery from the calf issue, allrounder Daryl Mitchell is expected to play No.5 for the first Test of the three-match series, which kicks off New Zealand’s long Europe trip.
“At the moment, we think it’s unlikely that Henry will play. Obviously, with the Covid, that just put him back a week or so from where we were wanting but he is progressing really well. I think he’s an unlikely starter so we will hold Michael Bracewell here as extra cover within the squad,”
head coach Gary Stead was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
On Boult, Stead said the reality of the schedule demands them to give their premier left-arm quick some crucial rest before asking him to take the load of consistent Test match spells again. The player hadn’t arrived in England till late on Monday, having gone through a long stint with Rajasthan Royals over the past two months. He played 16 of Royals’ 17 matches in a campaign that ended on May 29, only three days before the first Test in the UK.
“Trent arrives in later today and we’ll see how he scrubs up but we’ve had conversations leading up into this. It’s part of the world and the way it is right now and I guess with the complexity of putting schedules together and then you have the IPL on top of that, it just adds another layer to it all,”
Stead said.
Likely to skip the Lord’s Test, too, Boult will be expected to rest up his body for the next one week and be ready to take the field for the penultimate game of the three-match series in Trent Bridge from June 10.
Even if Boult misses the first Test, New Zealand would have a pace attack glint with Tim Southee, Kyle Jamieson, Neil Wagner and potentially a fourth-seamer in Matt Henry, reflective of their unprecedented depth in the fast-bowling department.
On the spin front, too, if they want, the Kane Williamson led side can look to bring in left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel, who became Test cricket’s only third 10-fer/innings bowler in November last year against India.
