NZ vs AUS: Ben Sears to debut in Christchurch, Australia name unchanged squad

Ace pacer Ben Sears is all set to make his debut against Australia in the second Test of the series at Christchurch. In the first Test at Basin Reserve, William O’Rourke injured his hamstring and was ruled out for the second and final Test of the series. There were chances of Neil Wagner coming out of retirement and playing the second Test but head coach Gary Stead backed Sears instead, who played 19 First Class matches and has picked up 58 wickets at an average of 27.03.

Meanwhile, the Tim Southee-led side hasn’t finalised if they should play four seamers or make room for a spinner in Mitchell Santner. In case the team management decides to play four pacers, Scott Kuggeleijn will retain his place in the playing XI. On the other hand, skipper Southee is happy with Sears coming to the scheme of things. The veteran pacer mentioned that the 26-year-old offers pace and the team is excited to see what he produces in Test cricket.

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“He's obviously had a little taste of international cricket in the other formats. He offers real pace. We saw him clock 150kph earlier in the summer in a T20 against Bangladesh so we're excited to see what he's got at his level. He's a tall fella. He's got pace,” Southee was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. 

“He's got something about him. Obviously, with the job that Will O'Rourke did in a couple of Test matches he played, again another tall guy with a bit of pace and a bit of skill about him. We're excited to see what Ben's got. It's a special time for him as well,” he added.

Australia announce playing XI for second Test

Australia, on the other hand, will not be making any changes to their winning combination. The Pat Cummins-led side have done remarkably well in Test cricket in the last few months and haven’t made too many changes. However, the form of certain cricketers like Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne is a bit concerning and that’s one area that the team management needs to address.

Australia's Playing XI:

Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

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