Due to the injury problems, New Zealand all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme has been ruled out from the forthcoming home Test series against West Indies, while left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel will also miss the first match of this Test series. The New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has also announced their replacements on Wednesday (25th November).
New Zealand are ready to begin their new home international summer on Friday (27th November) with the three-match T20I series against West Indies. Then they will play the two-match Test series between 3rd December and 15th December. This Test series is the part of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship.
Daryl Mitchell replaces Colin de Grandhomme; Mitchell Santner has been added in the first Test squad as the replacement of Ajaz Patel
Colin de Grandhomme will completely miss the upcoming home Test series due to bone bruising in his right foot. The 29-year-old all-rounder Daryl Mitchell has been named as the replacement of Grandhomme for the Test series.
Meanwhile, Ajaz Patel is recovering from the left calf tear issue, but he is going to miss the opening match of the forthcoming Test series against West Indies. The 28-year-old bowling all-rounder Mitchell Santner will cover this spot for the first Test of this upcoming home series. Both these replacement players have already been named in the T20I squad that will face West Indies before the beginning of the Test series.
Confirming this news, the national team’s Head Coach Gary Stead said, “Mitch and Daryl will be available for the final T20 game before linking up with the Test squad on Tuesday where we will monitor them closely to ensure they’re fit and fresh ahead of the first Test.”
Team management is impressed with Daryl Mitchell and Mitchell Santner
Daryl Mitchell has played only one Test as he made his Test debut during the Hamilton Test against England in November 2019. In that Test match, the right-handed batsman scored 73 runs in an innings, but the right-arm medium pacer failed to pick up his first Test wicket.
On the other hand, Mitchell Santner has already played 22 Tests, where the left-arm spinner has taken 39 wickets, and the left-handed batsman has scored 741 runs, including one century and two half-centuries. In November 2019, during the Mount Maunganui Test against England, Santner scored his maiden Test century. His last Test was during the 2019 Melbourne Test against the hosts Australia, which started on last Boxing Day.
Talking more about the replacements, Stead added, “They both proved last summer in the Tests against England what they can do in our conditions with Mitch scoring a century and claiming three wickets at Bay Oval, while Daryl produced a polished half-century on debut at Seddon Park.”
In the forthcoming T20I series against West Indies, Tim Southee will lead the hosts New Zealand in the first two T20I matches but will miss the third and final game of this series. In the absence of Southee, Mitchell Santner will take the leadership charge of the T20I squad for the last match of this upcoming series.