New Zealand vs South Africa: Trent Boult unavailable for the second Test

New Zealand pace bowler Trent Boult will not be available for the second Test against South Africa. With an injury risk, he seemed to have played his last home international cricket of the season as well. And, considering he has IPL deals and he is expected to be unavailable for the ODI series against the Netherlands at the end of March as well.

Trent Boult was not in the squad for the first match of the series in Christchurch as they were waiting for the birth of their third child.

“[He] is not in a position to be available with his loads and where he’s at,” New Zealand coach Gary Stead said. “Since his wife has been having the baby he’s missed out on a lot of opportunities to play cricket and bowl. We just felt the risk of him playing was far too great at the moment.”

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“We just felt the risk of him playing was far too great at the moment” – Gary Stead on Trent Boult

New Zealand have retained an unchanged 15-member squad for the second Test which means no place for a specialist spinner. Ajaz Patel has not returned to Plunket Shield action after injury and Stead did not expect conditions to change much from the first Test where New Zealand’s pace attack dominated by bowling out South Africa for 95 and 111 as well. All-rounder Rachin Ravindra is part of the squad as well.

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“We considered a [frontline] spin option but didn’t feel as though we needed it on this pitch, through history and the way it was looking after the last Test match,” Stead said.

“He’s always been a good bowler and sometimes you need that opportunity to strike and make the most it,” Stead said. “He bowled beautifully throughout the Test but I thought the whole bowling unit bowled really well together and thought that was one of the reasons we were so convincing.”