New Zealand has picked Ajaz Patel and Will Young in the side for the ICC World Test Championship final against India as Mitchell Santner was left out.
Follow Us
New Zealand have announced their 15-man side for the ICC World Test Championship final against India in Southampton. There are a few surprises, with Ajaz Patel picked instead of Mitchell Santner. Will Young, who hit 82 in the match against England in Edgbaston, has been picked in the side. Kane Williamson and BJ Watling, the two players who missed the Edgbaston Test due to injuries, are back for the final.
New Zealand won a series in England for only the third time in their history. The eight-wicket win in Edgbaston was New Zealand‘s first series win in England since 1999. The first Test at Lord’s ended in a draw, with rain washing out the entire third day. Apart from Williamson and Watling, Kyle Jamieson and Tim Southee are expected to slot back in.
With the inclusion of Ajaz Patel, New Zealand might play four pacers and one spinner for the final against India. Southee picked up a five-wicket haul in Lord’s but was left out of the Edgbaston Test. Jamieson was rested due to a big workload that he has shouldered ever since the IPL.
However, New Zealand have a problem of plenty when it comes to the bowling attack. Matt Henry, who took six wickets and was named as the Man of the Match, has also been selected.
Mitchell Santner was picked for the first Test in Lord’s but he looked below his best. A finger injury that he sustained kept him out of the Edgbaston Test. Ajaz Patel took four wickets in the Test, including the major scalp of England skipper Joe Root.
Speaking to the media, New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said it was a difficult message to give to the guys. “Often those guys have done nothing wrong and it’s around the balance we want in the team. But Mitch took it as I expected he would. He knows he’s a key component of our white-ball teams. There’s certainly a lot of white-ball cricket coming up that he can go home and prepare for as well. We felt we needed to have who we thought was our best spinner in terms of the guy who can take wickets for us and that’s why Ajaz got that nod,” Stead remarked.
With the inclusion of Ajaz Patel, the composition of the New Zealand side is a big headache. Does that mean Colin de Grandhomme does not get a place in the side? If New Zealand plays four pacers and one spinner, then the batting for New Zealand is weak. Jamieson bats at number eight while Southee and Boult can also chip in. Henry, who was the star in Edgbaston, might not feature in the line-up.
Will New Zealand play four or five out and out pacers? If that is the case, only then Colin de Grandhomme gets a chance. If Patel is picked, then there is no place for Colin de Grandhomme. The batting will revolve around Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Will Young, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls and BJ Watling. To accommodate a spinner, they may have to leave out Young and ensure Williamson bats at No.3.
In order to boost the batting, they may have to drop Patel and play Colin de Grandhomme. In that way, they have batting till number eight if one includes Jamieson.
The team selection for both sides is a headache. Both have immense depth in batting and bowling. India have not yet announced their trimmed down side for the ICC World Test Championship final. Stead believes balance in the group is crucial.
“There’s always a bit of a puzzle whether you go in with what you feel is slightly batting heavy or bowling heavy. That’s the advantage of having an allrounder in that you can balance up the group a little bit more and that’s what we are aiming to do when we select our teams. In time, it’s ultimately where we see Kyle (Jamieson) could hopefully end up or certainly push his boundaries to get up at that level because that would then allow us to look at the team slightly differently in terms of the dynamic of the group,” Stead said.
India and New Zealand finished one and two in the ICC World Test Championship points table. India won five out of the six series, losing only to New Zealand in the two-year cycle. On the other hand, New Zealand won all their matches at home but only managed to draw in the away cycle to Sri Lanka. Australia and England missed out on the final after losing to India.
Kane Williamson (c), Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Devon Conway, Colin de Grandhomme, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling, Will Young
