New Zealand resumed their terrific home record with a win against the no.1 ranked Test side, India, at Wellington in the first Test of the series. The Black Caps were without Neil Wagner, their most successful bowler in Tests since the beginning of 2019, who was attending to his wife's delivery.
6"8' tall Kyle Jamieson stepped up in Wagner's absence and dismissed Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Hanuma Vihari among his four wickets to grab headlines and then made a game-changing contribution with the bat. Such was Jamieson's impact that omitting him from the side for Christchurch does not even seem to be an option.
But Neil Wagner is returning and New Zealand have no place for their best ever pacer since 2019. Trent Boult and Tim Southee are legends in their own right, Jamieson is in form, Colin de Grandhomme adds value across disciplines and Ajaz Patel is the lone spinner in the side. So where does Wagner fit into the scheme of things?
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New Zealand head coach Gary Stead isn't certain about how the Black Caps will accommodate Wagner in their XI, but is sure that the left-arm seamer is a no-brainer in the team for the next Test.
"That's always good selection dilemmas to have," Stead had said on Tuesday. "Neil Wagner will come back and he's been a force in our team for a long time, and obviously Kyle Jamieson made the most of his debut, and the way he played, I thought, was outstanding as well, did a really good job for us. But I think Neil Wagner, it was pretty hard missing one Test let alone two Tests, so no, he'll be back with us without a doubt."
If Wagner returns, New Zealand will either have to go all-pace by dropping Ajaz Patel who bowled just six overs in the Wellington Test or sit out Jamieson or De Grandhomme.
The second option isn't quite feasible considering Jamieson had a great performance on debut and de Grandhomme, despite taking just one wicket, was economical and contributes with the bat too. The next option is sitting out the spinner for the Christchurch Test.
Ajaz bowled just six overs at Wellington, but if India had survived for longer on day four, the left-arm spinner might have played a role as Stead pointed out.
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"If the Test went the full distance, or even deep into the fourth day, you'd think that Ajaz would have taken a much bigger part than what he did, but it wasn't to be because our seam bowlers were so good in this Test match," Stead said.
But there's statistical evidence to suggest Patel can be sat out for Christchurch. Since 2019, spinners have taken just 15 wickets in New Zealand. Pace bowlers have 116 wickets in this time frame in the country. Since 2018, pacers have 222 wickets and spinners just 28. Of these 28 wickets, just seven are by New Zealand spinners.
The Black Caps spinners average 68 in home Test matches and pick wickets every 160 balls in a Test match. Given the numbers, it is a decent suggestion to sit Ajaz out for Wagner at Christchurch.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Jeremy NG
