New Zealand Chooses to Bowl: Rae and Hay Make Test Debuts with Eight Changes in Both Teams
2nd Test: New Zealand Chooses to Bowl: Rae and Hay Make Test Debuts with Eight Changes in Both Teams
New Zealand vs West Indies: Mitchell Hay will make his test debut as keeper and pacer Michael Rae will debut in Henry's place. New Zealand's fast-bowling attack delivered a strong comeback on the opening day of the second Test in Wellington, dismissing West Indies for 205 inside 75 overs.
The weather in Wellington was ideal for cricket, with bright sunshine and a gentle breeze. New Zealand captain Tom Latham won the toss and chose to bowl first. After the hard-fought draw against West Indies in Christchurch, New Zealand made five changes to their team.
Two Canterbury players made their Test debuts: Mitchell Hay, who took over the wicketkeeping duties from the injured Tom Blundell, and fast bowler Michael Rae, nicknamed “The Razor,” who replaced the injured Matt Henry. Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, and Blair Tickner also came in, while Nathan Smith, Michael Bracewell, and Will Young missed out.
West Indies also made changes, three in total. Tagenarine Chanderpaul was ruled out with a side strain and replaced by Brandon King. Anderson Phillip came in for Johann Layne, and Kavem Hodge replaced Alick Athanaze.
Speaking about the conditions, Latham said: “Traditionally, captains choose to bowl here, but the pitch usually gets better for batting later on.” West Indies’ Roston Chase added: “The wicket looks green, so we need to bat carefully and play from a good length.”
The Basin Reserve pitch is usually bright green with heavy grass cover at the start of a Test, but this time it looked lighter, suggesting batting might be easier in the first hour.
Interestingly, the last time New Zealand played a Test without a bowler who had more than 50 wickets was also against West Indies back in 2012, when Tim Southee, Trent Boult, and Neil Wagner all played their first Test together.
West Indies will be confident after their draw in Christchurch. They also know New Zealand has struggled recently at Wellington, losing their last two Tests there heavily by 323 runs to England and 172 runs to Australia in 2024.
This match is the 70th Test at the Basin Reserve, making it only the eighth venue in the world to reach that milestone. Both teams are also chasing their first win in the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle.
New Zealand: Tom Latham (c), Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Hay (wk), Glenn Phillips, Zakary Foulkes, Blair Tickner, Jacob Duffy, Michael Rae