With their players sustaining injuries left, right and centre, New Zealand have had to make a couple of changges to their squad for the third Test against West Indies. They have decided to bring veteran spinner Ajaz Patel back into the Test set-up after more than a year while wicketkeeper Tom Blundell has returned after fully recovering from his hamstring injury.
Notably, Blundell was among the three Kiwi players, who got injured during the first Test of the series. Mitchell Santner and Blair Tickner were the two other players from the side to have picked up injuries. Blundell is the only one of them to have fully recovered and has replaced Mitchell Hay from the squad, who had made his debut in the previous match.
Walter on Blundell's steady recovery
New Zealand head coach Rob Walter shared his remarks on Blundell's return to the squad and remarked that his experience will be valuable for the team as it consists of many players who are still relatively new to Test cricket.
"Tom has recovered very well from his hamstring tear, and we’re grateful to have someone of his caliber back in the side. His experience is invaluable, even more so as we have a few guys in the squad who are relatively new to Test cricket – he is a leader in the group and we’re very pleased to see him back," Walter said, while acknowledging Hay's contribution on his debut," Walter said ahead of the 3rd Test.
Ajaz makes long return
Another Kiwi player who has made his return to the Test squad is Ajaz Patel. The 37-year-old's last appearance in the format came in November, 2024. With many of their seamers sidelined due to injury setbacks, New Zealand had no choice but to turn towards the spinners. Walter remarked that Ajaz is a trustworthy player and highlighted how important he can be for the team in the upcoming match.
“Ajaz is someone we can trust to come in and do a job if required. Bay Oval, as we know, has typically taken more turn than other surfaces around New Zealand, and the fact he turns the ball away from the right-hander is very appealing. Taking another spinner into the third Test also gives a bit more variance in our bowling attack, along with our seamers who have been doing a great job thus far this series," Walter stated.
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New Zealand's squad for third Test: Tom Latham (c), Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Kristian Clarke, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Daryl Mitchell, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Michael Rae, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Will Young.