{"id":176884,"date":"2025-12-10T08:14:14","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T08:14:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/176884\/"},"modified":"2025-12-10T08:14:14","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T08:14:14","slug":"black-caps-v-west-indies-blair-tickner-injury-overshadows-new-zealands-day-as-bowlers-strike-at-basin-reserve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/176884\/","title":{"rendered":"Black Caps v West Indies: Blair Tickner injury overshadows New Zealand\u2019s day as bowlers strike at Basin Reserve"},"content":{"rendered":"

Should Tickner be out of action for the rest of this test match, the Black Caps would again be down in their bowling ranks, after Matt Henry and Nathan Smith were ruled out<\/a> during the series-opening draw <\/a>in Christchurch.<\/p>\n

\"BlairBlair Tickner celebrates a wicket on day one of the second test between the Black Caps and West Indies. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n

Injury aside, though, the Black Caps reached stumps as the happier of the two sides. Captain Tom Latham\u2019s decision to bowl first was rewarded with all 10 wickets, as New Zealand made five changes to the XI from Hagley Oval. <\/p>\n

Tickner (4-32) led the way, taking career-best figures to skittle the West Indies for 205, supported admirably by debutant Michael Rae (3-67). In fact, the Black Caps\u2019 bowling unit is so inexperienced that while Glenn Phillips (1-19) has taken the most career wickets leading into the test, Kane Williamson is second with 30.<\/p>\n

Wicketkeeper Mitchell Hay also gave a good account of himself on debut, taking one catch and looking tidy between the stumps, with the only blemish being two byes \u2013 albeit balls that went over his head. <\/p>\n

Shai Hope was the best on offer for the visitors but could only manage 48 before he fell to Tickner, as the West Indies slipped from 153-3 to 205 all out. <\/p>\n

In reply, the Black Caps reached 24-0 at stumps, behind by 181 runs and eyeing an insurmountable first-innings total as the wicket browns off and becomes better to bat on.<\/p>\n

Latham (seven not out) and Devon Conway (16 not out) will resume on day two, as the Black Caps look to bat the West Indies out of the game.<\/p>\n

As Latham won the toss and bowled \u2013 the 18th successive captain to do so at the Basin Reserve \u2013 the West Indies\u2019 openers played positively, adding 50 in 81 balls, that score raised when Rae was pulled for six over square leg by Brandon King.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until after drinks that Tickner broke through, removing King for 33 and then Kavem Hodge for a duck \u2013 both LBW \u2013 as 66-0 became 66-2. Tickner made exceptional use of the swinging ball early on, before going short later in the innings with equal success.<\/p>\n

After struggling in the morning, Rae joined the party after lunch. John Campbell had ridden his luck in the morning, nearly being run out for 21 and dropped by Latham on 23. However, that luck ran out when he was on 44, as Rae drew Campbell\u2019s edge through to Daryl Mitchell at slip to make it 93-3. <\/p>\n

As was the case in Christchurch, Hope proved to be a thorn in New Zealand\u2019s side. Fresh from scores of 56 and 140, he added 50 with captain Roston Chase and effortlessly marched to 48. <\/p>\n

But with Tickner\u2019s return, the West Indies\u2019 middle order fell apart. A well-directed bouncer left Hope in no-man\u2019s land, and he could only glove to Williamson behind the wicket, before Tickner took his fourth when an inside edge from Chase uprooted leg-stump at 176-5.<\/p>\n

At the other end, Rae had his second wicket \u2013 to give Hay his first catch \u2013 when first-test hero Justin Greaves edged behind for 13, leaving the West Indies out of specialist batters and relying on the lower order for any kind of first innings total.<\/p>\n

\"MichaelMichael Rae celebrates his first test wicket for the Black Caps, in the New Zealand side’s match against the West Indies in Wellington. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n

In Christchurch, Kemar Roach batted for 290 balls across both innings without being dismissed to save the first test. In Wellington, he lasted just three before he was pinned on the pad by Rae as the tourists slipped to 185-7.<\/p>\n

But after Tickner had shone with the ball all day, disaster struck before drinks when he was forced from the field. With the side down a bowler once more, Phillips stepped up to remove Imlach (16) by spinning a ball past the outside edge to clip off-stump at 199-8. <\/p>\n

Anderson Phillip (5 off 50) was run out at the non-striker\u2019s end by uncapped sub-fielder Kristian Clarke while attempting to steal a single. And when Jacob Duffy (1-33) had Ojay Shields (0) caught at third slip by Williamson, the bowlers\u2019 job was done.<\/p>\n

With 30 minutes to survive before the close, Latham and Conway both had their moments. The captain nearly fell to a sharp caught-and-bowled attempt by Jayden Seales, and his opening partner survived an LBW shout from the same bowler.<\/p>\n

Latham offered one final chance in the day\u2019s last over, as a leading edge off Shields landed between third slip and gully. However, both of the Black Caps openers will return on day two, as batting conditions can only improve.<\/p>\n

West Indies 205 (Hope 48; Tickner 4-32, Rae 3-67)<\/p>\n

New Zealand 24-0 (Conway 16 not out, Latham 7 not out)<\/p>\n

New Zealand trail by 181 runs<\/p>\n

Alex Powell<\/a> is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Should Tickner be out of action for the rest of this test match, the Black Caps would again…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":176885,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[20306,806,1975,75341,7022,80303,74281,42574,5972,28523,15258,117,111,43,139,69,113352,25622,10665,4485,80304,3807,2963],"class_list":["post-176884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-alex","tag-as","tag-at","tag-basin","tag-black","tag-blair","tag-bowlers","tag-caps","tag-day","tag-indies","tag-injury","tag-new","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-overshadows","tag-powell","tag-reserve","tag-strike","tag-tickner","tag-west","tag-zealands"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176884"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176884\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/176885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}