Kiwis put faith in young guns

Grant Elliott is set to make his Test debut

New Zealand are confident they have found two players for the future after injuries persuaded them to gamble on giving debuts to Grant Elliott and Tim Southee for the deciding Test against England.

Seamer Kyle Mills, their leading wicket-taker in the series with 10 victims, has been ruled out with a knee problem, while all-rounder Jacob Oram has been sidelined with a hip injury to leave New Zealand without two of their most experienced players for McLean Park.

But despite the series resting on the result, the hosts have no apprehension on giving South African-born all-rounder Elliott and emerging seamer Southee their first taste of Test cricket.

“As a New Zealand side, we’ve been through plenty of injuries in the past and it’s always given guys opportunities to step up,” enthused captain Daniel Vettori.

“Invariably, some guys have and put in performances that have led to them being in the team for a long time. We’re hoping Tim and Grant are definitely that case because they’ve definitely got the talent.”

Elliott has played state cricket back in South Africa before qualifying for New Zealand as a resident, but 19-year-old Southee is only in his second season of first-class cricket and won player of the tournament at the recent Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia.

Tim Southee and Grant Elliott exchange ideas in training

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“It’s pretty exciting for him,” said Vettori. “A first Test as a 19-year-old doesn’t come along that often and he’s an exciting prospect for us and we’re looking forward to him starting a long career.

“He’s a pretty consistent bowler, he swings it and if you have those two things, it doesn’t really matter what sort of wicket you bowl on. We’ve seen some skills there which we think can transfer onto any wicket we play on.

“We know it’s going to be a tough ask for him, particularly with a couple of guys out with injury, but we see something pretty special in him.”

New Zealand have also decided to replace seamer Mark Gillespie with off-spinner Jeetan Patel in an attempt to rediscover the winning formula from the first Test in Hamilton despite the loss of their two senior bowlers.

“It’s disappointing because they’ve been our two better bowlers so you’re losing two very good players from the side,” said Vettori.

“It makes it tough but we’ve got some opportunities for Grant Elliott slotting straight into Jacob’s role.

“It will be a big ask for him but he’s a guy that’s been earmarked for a little while and obviously Tim gets a chance to step into Kyle’s shoes and push for a place on that England tour next month.

“It’s something they’ve both probably got their eyes on and it will be a real honour for them to step up here and then get selected for the tour.”