HAMILTON, New Zealand, CMC – Trusted Black Caps wicketkeeper/batsman BJ Watling is an injury doubt for the opening Test against West Indies starting here tomorrow.
The seasoned 35-year-old gloveman suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday during a Ford Trophy domestic one-day game when he scored an unbeaten 23 to help Northern Districts to a six-wicket win over Auckland under Duckworth-Lewis at Cobham Oval in Whangarei.
Watling will be assessed today before a final determination is made on his availability but if he is ruled out, opener Tom Blundell will don the gloves and drop down the order, making way for prolific 28-year-old opener Will Young to make his Test debut.
Batsman Devon Conway, however, has been also drafted into the Test squad as cover but is not expected to force his way into the XI.
“We have another injury cover – Devon Conway will cover for BJ Watling who has a slight hamstring niggle that he picked up in his last Ford Trophy match,” New Zealand coach Gary Stead said yesterday.
“What that would mean is that Tom Blundell will take the gloves if BJ was ruled out and bat in the middle order which is why you’ll see Devon Conway at training today.
“He (Watling) was being assessed as I walked across over here. So first time we’ve managed to get the physio in front of him.
“So once I hear more from that I will know but I’m guessing tomorrow we’ll make the call of whether he’s a chance or not.”
Young boasts a first class average of nearly 44 from 78 matches with just over 5 000 runs, and has been waiting in the wings for his Test debut for some while. He was certain to feature against Bangladesh in Christchurch last year before the game was cancelled due to a terrorist attack on a mosque.
He struck a hundred for New Zealand against West Indies in a drawn four-day first class match which ended Sunday in Queenstown and also got a half-century against the touring side in a three-day match two weeks ago at the same venue.
Conway, however, is also pressing a case for his Test debut. The 29-year-old, who made his international debut against West Indies in the recent three-match Twenty20 series, has 18 hundreds and a shade over 7 000 first class runs with an average of 47.
“I think Will has scored four or five [New Zealand] A centuries now in the last couple of years,” Stead pointed out.
“Devon’s obviously done what he’s done in domestic cricket and put a lot of runs on the board as well. It’s healthy but it’s not only batting places but bowling places.”
The second Test bowls off in Wellington on December 11 with the series marking the start of New Zealand’s summer following the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
