CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) — Australia captain Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to bowl Friday in the second test against New Zealand.
Cummins said the pitch at Hagley Oval had a “touch of green” and Australia hoped to take advantage of that as the surface is expected to be good for batting later.
Australia named the same team that won the first test in Wellington by 172 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
New Zealand captain Tim Southee was unable to win the toss in his 100th test, a milestone he is celebrating with teammate Kane Williamson.
New Zealand has made one change to its lineup, naming fast bowler Ben Sears to make his test debut in place of Will O’Rourke, who has a hamstring injury.
South African umpire Marais Erasmus is standing in his final test before retiring from the elite panel of umpires after 14 years.
The 60-year-old Erasmus has stood in 82 test matches, 123 men’s one-day internationals, 43 men’s Twenty20 internationals and 18 women’s T20s. He was the ICC Umpire of the Year in 2016, 2017 and 2021.
“I have had a wonderful time on the Elite Panel, officiating in some top-class matches around the world and in global ICC events,” Erasmus said. “I am very fortunate to have continued my association with the game after my time as a cricketer in South Africa and have enjoyed every moment.”
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New Zealand: Tom Latham, Will Young, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Glenn Phillips, Scott Kuggeleijn, Matt Henry, Tim Southee (captain), Ben Sears.
Australia: Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (captain), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
