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West Indies tour of New Zealand (2025)

More injury concern for New Zealand as pacer hurts shoulder

Making his first Test appearance since 2023, Blair Tickner impressed with the ball before being stretchered off the field with a shoulder concern.

New Zealand's injury woes have worsened, with fast bowler Blair Tickner sustaining a shoulder injury on an action-packed opening day of the second Test against the West Indies in Wellington.

Tickner starred with the ball on the opening day of the ICC World Test Championship contest at Basin Reserve with a four-wicket haul, but his afternoon took a turn for the worse in the 63rd over as he dived at full-stretch to stop a boundary at fine-leg and went down clutching at his shoulder.

He remained on the ground immediately, prompting swift action from New Zealand’s medical personnel and venue staff. The 32-year-old quick was stretchered off to warm applause from the home crowd, heading off into an ambulance for further tests.

Before his injury, Tickner delivered a decisive spell, trapping Brandon King for 33 and Kavem Hodge for a duck, using a sharp bouncer to pick off Shai Hope for 48, and later knocking over Roston Chase to strengthen New Zealand’s position on opening day.

Tickner recorded figures of 4/32 off his 16 overs, including three maidens, as West Indies were dismissed for 205 late in the day. The Black Caps reached stumps unscathed at 24/0 and will feel in a strong position despite the loss of Tickner to injury.

He was drafted into the side due to injuries to fellow pacers, Matt Henry and Nathan Smith. His injury adds to an already extended list of New Zealand pacers sidelined for this series, Will O’Rourke, Ben Sears, and Matt Fisher.

Tickner’s injury only deepens New Zealand’s injury crisis, with a big 2026 coming up, which includes an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in February and March.

The hosts are now facing the possibility of losing a third fast bowler mid-Test in this series, after similar difficulties in Christchurch affected their ability to force a result and allowed West Indies to secure a draw.

ICC
 
While you can say this about a few WI batsmen, what's Roston Chase doing in that lineup ? Batting at 5 with a Test average of 24.97.

He's the captain no less !
 
New Zealand just can't catch a break, can they?

Another pacer injured.

At some point they would have to start thinking if they were cursed or something.
 
Ball Blazer said:
Injury doesn't make any difference for NZ. WI are still gonna lose
Click to expand...
It's not that simple. Having one of our front-line bowlers injured like that can have a major effect on the entire bowling attack. It means less rest for the other bowlers between spells, which means they get tired earlier and are less effective even when they are bowling. Because of this you might also get periods where part-timers are bowling which means easy runs for the opposition and the chance to get set at the crease more comfortably
 
BLACKCAPS pace bowler Blair Tickner will not bowl or field, and is unlikely to bat for the remainder of the second Test in Wellington, after dislocating his shoulder while diving to stop a boundary on day one.

Tickner, who was taken to hospital for treatment last night, will join the squad at the ground today as he awaits further specialist assessment to determine his return to play.
 
BouncerGuy said:
BLACKCAPS pace bowler Blair Tickner will not bowl or field, and is unlikely to bat for the remainder of the second Test in Wellington, after dislocating his shoulder while diving to stop a boundary on day one.

Tickner, who was taken to hospital for treatment last night, will join the squad at the ground today as he awaits further specialist assessment to determine his return to play.
Click to expand...

Why do pacers do this? Not worth it to dive dangerously and get injured. That puts the team in a worse situation.

Pacers should never dive like this.
 
sweep_shot said:
Why do pacers do this? Not worth it to dive dangerously and get injured. That puts the team in a worse situation.

Pacers should never dive like this.
Click to expand...
Yeah why take risk in Red ball cricket... there is plenty of time to catch up...

Anyway, kiwis lead by 58 runs now with 2 wickets left....
 
Day 2: Stumps - West Indies trail by 41 runs

WI 32/2

Looks like windies might lose this game
 
West Indies first innings destroyer Tickner out of the test match, good opportunity for West Indies to score big in 2nd innings & look for a win.
 
The fitness of these Kiwi players is diabolically bad.

If it's a smokescreen to rest some players, they are doing a really rubbish job of showing to the world how bad their general fitness levels are at the moment.
 
Usman Chadda said:
The fitness of these Kiwi players is diabolically bad.

If it's a smokescreen to rest some players, they are doing a really rubbish job of showing to the world how bad their general fitness levels are at the moment.
Click to expand...
You don't often see fitness issues with the New Zealand team. They usually are good in terms of their fitness.
 

New Zealand vs West Indies, 2nd Test​

New Zealand won by 9 wkts

WI 205 & 128

NZ 278/9d & 57/1

Easy win for kiwis.... Windies were never in the game since day 1
 
If NZ fielded their U19 attack, I'm not convinced WI wouldn't collapse to them too.

How many more opposition bowler injuries do you need to take advantage ?
 
Ajaz Patel has been selected for the third and final Tegel Test against the West Indies starting this Thursday, 18 December in Mt Maunganui.



Wicketkeeper Tom Blundell also returns to the side after missing the second Test to recover from a hamstring tear sustained in the first Test at the start of December.



Patel joins the side in place of his Central Stags teammate, Blair Tickner, who dislocated his shoulder fielding on the boundary during the second Test in Wellington.



Patel, who famously took all ten wickets in a Test innings against India at Wankhede Stadium in 2021, could be in line to play his first Test match on home soil since February of 2020.



Patel’s last Test appearance came during the third Test in the recent Tour of India in 2024, where he produced a man of the match performance with figures of 11-160 as part of the BLACKCAPS’ 3-0 whitewash series victory.



Speaking on Patel, Head Coach Rob Walter said.



“Ajaz is someone we can trust to come in and do a job if required. Bay Oval, as we know, has typically taken more turn than other surfaces around New Zealand, and the fact he turns the ball away from the right-hander is very appealing.



“Taking another spinner into the third Test also gives a bit more variance in our bowling attack, along with our seamers who have been doing a great job thus far this series.”



Speaking on Tom Blundell, Walter said.



“Tom has recovered very well from his hamstring tear, and we’re grateful to have someone of his caliber back in the side.



“His experience is invaluable, even more so as we have a few guys in the squad who are relatively new to Test cricket – he is a leader in the group and we’re very pleased to see him back.”



Mitch Hay will return to domestic duties with Canterbury after a solid debut while Blundell rehabilitated his hamstring. Walter spoke on the young wicketkeeper.



“We know Mitch’s quality from his time with the white-ball side, and he did a great job for us in Wellington - it’s very pleasing to have that added depth at wicketkeeper.”



Fast bowling quartet Michael Rae, Zak Foulkes, Jacob Duffy and Kristian Clarke all remain in the squad for the final Test, with Rae impressing on debut in Wellington.



“We couldn’t have asked for more from Michael on his debut,” Rob Walter said.



“The energy he brings to the group and the added benefit of his height means he’s able to extract plenty out of the surface, which he did so in Wellington.



Kyle Jamieson is progressing well through his red-ball return-to-play plan. He will continue to work closely with BLACKCAPS support staff on his return to the Test arena. Jamieson is working through a conditioning block after a full start to the summer, as part of his preparation for what is shaping up to be a busy first half of 2026.



The remainder of the squad remains unchanged from the second Test.



BLACKCAPS Test Squad: Third Tegel Test v West Indies

Bay Oval, Tauranga – 18-22 December.



Tom Latham (C) – Canterbury

Tom Blundell – Wellington Firebirds

Michael Bracewell – Wellington Firebirds

Kristian Clarke – Northern Districts

⁠⁠Devon Conway – Wellington Firebirds

Jacob Duffy – Otago Volts

Zak Foulkes – Canterbury

Daryl Mitchell – Canterbury

Ajaz Patel – Central Stags

Glenn Phillips – Otago Volts

Michael Rae – Canterbury

Rachin Ravindra – Wellington Firebirds

⁠Kane Williamson – Northern Districts

Will Young – Central Stags
 
Century for conway and now Latham is also close to get one... What a start this is for kiwis... Windies are under the dirt atm.
 
Day 1: Stumps

NZ 334/1

What a day it has been for Kiwis... openers scored centuries and windies bowlers were smashed all around the parl
 
New Zealand duo claim WTC best with record-breaking stand

New Zealand pair Tom Latham and Devon Conway have broken the record previously held by India duo Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal for the highest opening partnership since the inception of the ICC World Test Championship.

The opening duo combined to put on 323 for the first wicket, with skipper Latham (137) scoring his 15th Test century and Conway (178*) his sixth as the Black Caps dominated proceedings as they put the West Indies' bowlers to the sword in Mount Maunganui.

Highest Partnerships in World Test Championship history


RankPlayersPartnership RunsOppositionYear
1Devon Conway & Tom Latham (New Zealand)323West Indies2025
2Mayank Agarwal & Rohit Sharma (India)317South Africa2019
3Abid Ali & Shan Masood (Pakistan)278Sri Lanka2019
4Abdullah Shafique & Imam-ul-Haq (Pakistan)252* Australia2022
5Zak Crawley & Ben Duckett (England)233 Pakistan2022

Latham fell late on the opening day to veteran West Indies quick Kemar Roach (1/63), with night-watcher Jacob Duffy (9*)* joining Conway at the crease as the hosts finished in control of the third Test at 334/1*.

You have to go back to April of 1972 to find the last time New Zealand's openers scored more than 300 for the opening wicket at Test level, with Glenn Turner and Terry Jarvis putting on 387 for the first wicket – the highest opening partnership for New Zealand – also against the West Indies in Guyana.

While Latham and Conway couldn't surpass this New Zealand record, they did manage to finish with the equal 12th best in the history of Test cricket and claim the record for the highest since the World Test Championship commenced in 2019.

Rohit and Agarwal had previously held the record since they put on 317 for the opening wicket against South Africa in Visakhapatnam back in 2019, with Latham and Conway sneaking past the mark just prior to stumps to mark a dominant day for New Zealand.


ICC
 
Devon Conway and Tom Latham put together 323, the second highest opening partnership for New Zealand, only bettered by Glenn Turner and Terry Jarvis's 387 stand against the West Indies in Georgetown in 1972.

It was also only the eighth time New Zealand had registered a stand in excess of 300 in Tests.
 
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