New Zealand’s returning seamer Blair Tickner suffered a painful setback on the opening day of the second Test at the Basin Reserve, leaving the field on a stretcher after a suspected shoulder dislocation.
Tickner, playing his first Test since early 2023, had made a brilliant comeback earlier in the day with 4 for 32, dismantling West Indies’ top order. But his return took a dramatic turn in the 67th over, when he dived at fine leg to stop a boundary off Tevon Imlach. Tickner landed awkwardly, immediately clutching his shoulder and signalling for help.
Teammates and medical staff rushed in, and the seamer was stretchered off to applause from the Wellington crowd. Early indications suggest a dislocated shoulder, though New Zealand Cricket is yet to issue an official confirmation.
The injury deepens New Zealand’s fast-bowling crisis. Tickner was drafted in only after Matt Henry and Nathan Smith were ruled out, and now becomes the third seamer in this series to be sidelined mid-Test.
Before the incident, Tickner was easily the pick of the bowlers, removing Brandon King and Kavem Hodge lbw, bouncing out Shai Hope, and bowling Roston Chase. His absence leaves New Zealand with a severely depleted attack: Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes and debutant Michael Rae — a trio with fewer than 50 combined Test wickets, the first time this has happened since 2012.
Despite bowling West Indies out for 205, New Zealand once again face the prospect of finishing a Test without frontline pacers, similar to Christchurch, where West Indies battled to a memorable draw.
