<p>Ben Sears, an uncapped fast bowler from Wellington, will take Will O’Rourke’s spot in the New Zealand team for the second test against Australia, designing supporters’ hopes for a Neil Wagner comeback.</p>
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<p>Due to a hamstring injury, O’Rourke was ruled out of the Christchurch game beginning on Friday. This led to rumors that fan favorite Wagner would come out of retirement to assist the Black Caps in the series.</p>
<p>The selection of Sears, who had an average of 27.03 in 19 first-class games, by selectors as a “like-for-like” substitute for O’Rourke was met with disapproval by New Zealand coach Gary Stead.</p>
<p>“A true pacer is what we were looking for. That’s what Ben did. He’s played well internationally recently against Australia as well, which played a role in the decision to replace Will with him,” Stead told reporters on Monday.</p>
<p>“The team gave Neil a heartfelt send-off last night.” They honored all of his accomplishments, and Neil was pleased with his choice of where he needed to go in that regard.</p>
<p>Due to a broken thumb, opener Devon Conway missed the first test and will miss a significant portion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as he heals from surgery.</p>
<p>The batter for the Chennai Super Kings should be ready for the T20 World Cup, which begins in the Caribbean and the United States in June, and return for the IPL in May.</p>
<p>In the first match in Wellington on Sunday, New Zealand was crushed by 172 runs in only four days, despite their decision to go all-seam on a track that was favorable to spin.</p>
<p>After not being handed a ball in the first innings, New Zealand all-rounder Glenn Phillips got five wickets in the second innings with his off-spin, while Australia’s Nathan Lyon claimed ten wickets at the Basin Reserve.</p>
<p>Selectors in New Zealand faced backlash for passing over spin-bowling all-around player Mitch Santner in favor of fourth-seamer Scott Kuggeleijn. Santner was also left out of the lineup for the second test against South Africa in Hamilton.</p>
<p>There was no disguising the outcome in Wellington, even if the hosts managed to win by seven wickets against the Proteas’ second-string side.</p>
<p>Selectors misinterpreted the Basin Reserve message, Stead acknowledged.</p>
<p>Indeed, that is (a worry). Yes, indeed,” he said.</p>
<p>Santner would have played if we had known it would spin—more on the bounce than the spin. Indeed, we were mistaken in that.</p>
<p>Raise our hands around that too. It’s not what we had anticipated or what we had previously seen from the Basin Reserve.</p>
Australia vs. New Zealand: Ben Sears, Not Neil Wagner, Takes Will O’Rourke’s Place in the Injured Test Match
