MELBOURNE: New Zealand made two changes on Wednesday for the Boxing Day Test against Australia with fast bowler Trent Boult back from injury and Tom Blundell replacing Jeet Ravel at the top of the order.
The dangerous Boult missed the first Test in Perth, where his team crashed by 296 runs, with a rib injury that also kept him out of their final clash against England.
But he has worked his way back to fitness, desperate to play in the Black Caps first Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground since 1987, with a crowd of more 75,000 expected on day one.
Williamson also confirmed Blundell, usually a middle-order batsman, would open alongside Tom Latham in place of the out-of-form Ravel.
“He’s a positive player and a smart cricketer so it’s just trying to adapt to the conditions. It’s important he goes out and plays his natural game,” Williamson told reporters of Blundell.
“He’s been a very good player for a long time and he’s a mature head […] it’s a really exciting opportunity for him.”
New Zealand have had 10 days to recover from their Perth day-night Test thrashing, which saw their batsmen skittled for 166 and 171.
Williamson said they had learned from their mistakes.
“Perth was tough and Australia are very good and tactically sound,” he said after his team were put through their paces in the nets on Christmas Day.
“It’s important we learn from some bits of Perth but turn our focus to Melbourne and changing conditions and perhaps not be too reactive to that performance.”
Williamson was also keen to ensure his players do not get carried away with playing in front of such a big crowd during one of the most prestigious days on the cricket calendar.
“I guess there’s a sense of romance about being involved in the Boxing Day Test […] at the same time it’s about removing a little bit of that and bringing the focus back to the cricket and making those improvements we need to.”
Meanwhile, Australian captain Tim Paine said his team could play five specialist bowlers against New Zealand in the second Test, with the decision being left until the last moment.
The Melbourne Cricket Ground track has been lifeless during the past two Boxing Day Tests, making it hard to take 20 wickets, although a Sheffield Shield match there this month was abandoned due to a dangerous pitch.
With this in mind, Paine said a decision would only be made after a late inspection.
But one scenario could be a five-pronged attack, in which Queensland seamer Michael Neser likely makes his debut.
“We’ll find out tomorrow. The wicket is a bit unknown […] but we’ve got a plan in place for both scenarios [with five bowlers or without],” Paine told reporters on Wednesday.
“We’ve probably got two different teams [in mind], to be honest, so we’ll make the final call tomorrow.”
Australia traditionally play only four frontline bowlers — three quicks and spinner.
According to Cricket Australia, they have only fielded five once before in the past decade — at the 2013 Sydney Test against Sri Lanka.
If they go down this route on Thursday, Neser is set to line up alongside Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon, with James Pattinson replacing the injured Josh Hazlewood.
Travis Head is expected to be the fall guy, with wicket-keeper Paine moving up the batting order to six.
On Tuesday, veteran New Zealand seamer Tim Southee said the Black Caps had refused to completely wipe their Perth pink-ball horror show from memory.
The Kiwis’ lack of experience in day-night Tests showed at Perth Stadium.
Despite the Trans-Tasman battle reverting back to the red-ball for Boxing Day, quick Tim Southee said the team analysed their first Test performance thoroughly.
“It’s different, the pink ball…but I don’t think you park it,” Southee told reporters on Tuesday. “There’s things we did well in Perth, there’s things we didn’t do so well.
“I think the strength of the group is we look at those areas and we look to improve, we’re always looking to improve.
“Although it was a different type of Test cricket, there’s still things we learned from that.” New Zealand will play their first Boxing Day Test at the MCG since 1987, with a crowd of about 75,000 expected for day one.
