New Zealand vs Australia, 2nd Test at Christchurch, Preview: Steven Smith and Co look to wreck Brendon McCullum’s farewell

New Zealand vs Australia, 2nd Test at Christchurch, Preview: Steven Smith and Co look to wreck Brendon McCullum’s farewell

New Zealand face Australia in the second Test at Christchurch starting Saturday, at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. It is the last match of the ongoing Trans-Tasman Trophy 2015-16, with Australia winning the first Test at Wellington by an innings and 52 runs. More importantly, it is the final match of Brendon McCullum for New Zealand, and this will surely be dominating all the five days, if the match lasts that long. The first Test ended inside four days, with Australia dominating thoroughly in all the departments. Steven Smith and Co need just draw in the next Test to ensure they return to the top-rank of the ICC Test rankings. To add on that, Smith will break a 95-year-old record by remaining undefeated in his first 11 matches as a Test skipper. FULL SCORECARD: New Zealand vs Australia, 2nd Test at Christchurch

Ahead of the all-important second Test, New Zealand coach Mike Hesson has already expressed their plan of preparing a more greener pitch when compared to Basin Reserve’s pitch. He said the Hamilton pitch could have been greener which could assist the Black Caps’ bowlers in exploiting Australia’s weaknesses against swing and seam.

According to ESPNCricinfo, Smith has suggested that the pitch looks pretty much similar to the previous one. “I think it actually looks pretty similar to the last wicket the day before the game. It’s quite hard to tell how it’s going to play until you get out there on the morning of the game when they’ve given it a roll and you see it for the last time,” the Australian skipper added.

While the teams are concerned, while Australia will be without the services of Peter Siddle, New Zealand will miss Doug Bracewell with the both the pacers having sustained injuries during the first Test. James Pattinson has been recalled to replace Siddle, on the other hand it will be mostly Matt Henry in the place of Bracewell. The hosts might also consider bringing in Neil Wagner to replace the spinner Mark Craig. Wagner’s seam will strengthen the chances for New Zealand in the must-win Test. READ: Steven Smith’s world record is fine, but he has a long way to go

Squads:

New Zealand: Brendon McCullum (c), BJ Watling (wk), Kane Williamson, Corey Anderson, Doug Bracewell (injured), Mark Craig, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Neil Wagner.

Australia: David Warner, Joe Burns, Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith (c), Adam Voges, Mitchell Marsh, Peter Nevill (wk), Peter Siddle (injures), Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Jackson Bird, James Pattinson (2nd Test)

Time: 10:30 local | 21:30 GMT | 03:00 IST

(Sakshi Gupta, reporter with CricketCountry, is a sports fanatic whose mantra in life is “do only what you enjoy.” Her Twitter handle is @sakshi2929)