Daryl Mitchell’s cracking hundred in Christchurch came at a cost, and New Zealand might have to make do without him for the rest of this three-match ODI series against West Indies. The right-hander tweaked his groin during that 118-ball 119 and will stay in Christchurch for a scan rather than fly north with the team.
Henry Nicholls has been summoned as cover for Wednesday’s match in Napier. The left-hander hasn’t played an ODI since April, yet he is top of the Ford Trophy charts this summer – 306 runs at 76.50, two centuries in the last fortnight. Mark Chapman, already part of the squad, is averaging a tidy 101.33 from four ODIs in 2025, so the selectors are not exactly short of options, just light on experience in this format.
Mitchell’s form has been hard to ignore. He took the player-of-the-series gong against England last month and, according to captain Mitchell Santner, keeps finding a way. “He is a man for crisis,” Santner said after Sunday’s win. “He played extremely well, on one leg at the end.”
New Zealand’s injury list is piling up. Mohammad Abbas (ribs), Finn Allen (foot), Lockie Ferguson (hamstring), Adam Milne (ankle), Will O’Rourke (back), Glenn Phillips (groin) and Ben Sears (hamstring) are all unavailable. Kane Williamson, nursing his own groin niggle from the England series, has skipped the ODIs to focus on the Tests that follow.
Napier’s McLean Park is usually flat, so Nicholls or Chapman—maybe both—could be asked to slot straight in. The coaching staff will weigh Mitchell’s scan before making the final call, but with only two days between games, the odds are against a quick turnaround.
Not ideal preparation, yet the Black Caps have made a habit of shuffling their deck and still finding runs. This week, they may have to do it again.
