A probable recurrence of the stress fracture in his back that prevented him from playing top-level cricket for seven months from last June to mid-January has also caused Jamieson to be ruled out of the second test.
Henry is anticipated to be eligible for the second test, but as he and girlfriend Holly are expecting their first child. He has been ruled out of the opening game, which will begin on Thursday at Bay Oval in Mt Maunganui.
Boult’s core contract with New Zealand Cricket was released in August, allowing him to participate in Twenty20 tournaments all over the world but limiting his availability for the New Zealand team.
His future as a test cricket player has been less certain, but he represented New Zealand in the T20 World Cup in Australia last October, and all indications are that he will be chosen for the one-day international World Cup in India this October.
Trent Boult wasn’t initially a candidate for this month’s tests since he has lately been playing in the United Arab Emirates’ new International League T20 tournament, with his last game for MI Emirates being already played on Saturday.
Tuesday before practise, Stead stated that Boult had returned to New Zealand and had been taken into consideration before deciding on the uncapped pair of Jacob Duffy and Scott Kuggeleijn as Henry and Jamieson’s substitutes.
Less than four weeks after making his comeback to professional cricket with the Auckland Aces in the T20 Super Smash, Jamieson had a recurrence of his back ailment.
Due to the absence of Jamieson and Henry, the New Zealand team will likely give debuts to two of Duffy’s teammates: Kuggeleijn and Blair Tickner, who was the originally team’s fifth choice seam bowler.
The inexperienced seam attack will be led by captain Tim Southee and left-armer Neil Wagner, and Stead said he would be “extremely shocked” if one of the two late callups wasn’t included in their starting lineup on Thursday.
The whole New Zealand team was expected to arrive at their camp in Mount Maunganui by Tuesday afternoon, with only a few rains expected on Thursday due to Cyclone Gabrielle’s passage.