NZ opt to bowl; Rae and Hay on Test debut with eight changes across both teams

Toss New Zealand opt to bowl vs West Indies

Conditions, by Wellington's standards, could not be more perfect, with the sun and breeze in full flow as New Zealand captain Tom Latham opted to bowl at the toss. But there were changes galore after the hard-fought draw brought about by West Indies in Christchurch, with injuries and form both contributing to a significant reshuffle.

The hosts made five changes, including Test debuts for the Canterbury pair of Mitchell Hay and Michael Rae. Hay took the gloves from the injured Tom Blundell, while right-arm seamer Rae, nicknamed "The Razor" in domestic cricket, made his maiden New Zealand appearance in place of the injured Matt Henry. Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips and Blair Tickner came in for Nathan Smith, Michael Bracewell and Will Young.

For West Indies, they had one forced change among their three swaps. Tagenarine Chanderpaul picked up a side strain on the eve of the Test and was replaced by Brandon King. Anderson Phillip replaced Johann Layne, while Kavem Hodge came in the place of Alick Athanaze.

"Traditionally, every captain's looked to bowl here but when we come over here we try to work out the pitch," Latham said. "It gets better to bat here later on though."

"The wicket looks green so we have to bat well," Roston Chase said. "We will have to be watchful and play well from a good length."

The pitch at the Basin Reserve usually wears an emerald-green hue with plenty of grass covering at the start of Tests, but this one appeared milder in colour, suggesting better batting conditions in the first hour.

The last time New Zealand fielded a Test XI in which no bowler had 50-plus Test wickets was also against West Indies (in Kingston, 2012) - the first Test featuring all three of Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner.

Apart from the confidence from their draw, West Indies will also have their tail up heading into Wellington, where New Zealand have lost their last two Tests by heavy margins: by 323 runs to England and by 172 runs to Australia, both in 2024.

It is also the 70th Test at the Basin Reserve, becoming the eighth Test venue to earn that distinction. Both teams are also searching for their first win in the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.

New Zealand: 1 Tom Latham (capt), 2 Devon Conway, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Rachin Ravindra, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Mitchell Hay (wk), 7 Glenn Phillips, 8 Zakary Foulkes, 9 Blair Tickner, 10 Jacob Duffy, 11 Michael Rae

West Indies: 1 John Campbell, 2 Brandon King, 3 Kavem Hodge, 4 Shai Hope, 5 Roston Chase (capt), 6 Justin Greaves, 7 Tevin Imlach (wk), 8 Kemar Roach, 9 Jayden Seales, 10 Anderson Phillip, 11 Ojay Shields