New Zealand ended Day 1 firmly on top in Wellington, but the dominating performance was overshadowed by a major injury scare to seamer Blair Tickner, who is now set to be ruled out of the Test after suffering a suspected dislocated shoulder while fielding late in the day.
Tickner, who had produced one of the best spells of his Test career with 4 for 32, spearheading a West Indies collapse, injured himself in the 66th over when he dived at fine leg to stop a boundary. He landed awkwardly, immediately signalling to the dressing room, and had to be stretchered off the field.
New Zealand’s camp believes the injury is serious enough for Tickner to miss the remainder of the match, with confirmation expected before Day 2.
A near-perfect day, marred by one big blow
New Zealand’s bowlers had a superb outing, reducing West Indies from a steady position to 205 all out, claiming the last six wickets for just 29 runs.
• Tickner removed four of the top five batters
• Debutant Michael Rae displayed excellent control to pick up 3 wickets
• Jacob Duffy and Glenn Phillips chipped in with a wicket each
However, Tickner’s injury leaves New Zealand with a significantly weakened attack for the remainder of the match — especially given the team’s ongoing fast-bowling injury crisis.
A strong start with the bat
In response, New Zealand reached 24/0 in 9 overs, with Tom Latham (7)* and Devon Conway (16)* steady at stumps. They trail by 181 runs with all wickets in hand.
What next?
Tickner’s condition will be reassessed overnight, but early signs point to him being ruled out of the Test, and potentially beyond. New Zealand will likely have to operate with three inexperienced seamers for the rest of the match.
More updates are expected before the start of Day 2.
