New Zealand declared their first innings at 278/9 on Day 2 of the Wellington Test against West Indies, a move that raised quick questions among fans — why declare with one wicket still in hand?
Blair Tickner was unavailable to bat
The declaration was straightforward:
Blair Tickner, who suffered a dislocated shoulder on Day 1, was “unlikely to bat”, as confirmed by New Zealand Cricket earlier in the day. The pacer:
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dislocated his left shoulder while diving at fine leg,
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was taken to hospital after stumps on Day 1,
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and was ruled out of bowling, fielding, and most likely batting for the rest of the Test.
With Tickner unavailable, New Zealand effectively had only 10 batters, making the fall of the ninth wicket the practical end of the innings.
Why declare at that moment?
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To maximise bowling time in favourable conditions
Basin Reserve has shown assistance for seamers early in the day. With New Zealand already leading by 73 runs, getting West Indies in as soon as possible made tactical sense. -
Tailenders had already added crucial runs
NZ were 213/6 at one stage. The last few partnerships dragged them to 278 — including a valuable 60-run addition for the last three wickets. -
No benefit in waiting for an injured non-batter
Since Tickner couldn’t bat, the innings would have ended immediately anyway. -
Weather + light timing
With roughly 40 minutes left in the session, New Zealand wanted a short burst at the Windies top order before stumps.
Commentary confirmed the call
As Michael Rae was bowled by Jayden Seales, the broadcasters noted:
“New Zealand have declared… Tickner won’t be batting.”
With a depleted bowling attack already missing several frontline names, New Zealand’s early declaration was an aggressive attempt to take control of the Test.
