Uncapped Ben Sears is likely to make his Test debut for New Zealand, after pacer Will O'Rourke was ruled out of the second and final Test against Australia due to a hamstring strain on Monday, March 4.

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) confirmed that O'Rourke will not play in the second Test against Australia after scans revealed the extent of his left hamstring injury, which he sustained while bowling on day three of the first Test in Wellington.

O'Rourke will now need at least two weeks of rest before returning to action, resulting in Sears having a great chance to make their Test debut for New Zealand at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, where they will face Australia in the second and final Test on March 8.

Sears is expected to join the New Zealand team in Christchurch on Tuesday, March 5, which means the road of return ended for the recently retired Neil Wagner. There were speculations that Wagner might come out of retirement to help New Zealand level the Test series against Australia.

Read Also: IPL 2024: CSK suffer big blow as Devon Conway set to miss at least first half of upcoming IPL season

However, New Zealand head coach Gary Stead confirmed that the 26-year-old Sears is likely to replace O'Rourke in the team for the Christchurch Test. Notably, Sears has so far played 19 First-Class matches and scalped 58 wickets at an average of 27.

Gary Stead stated: “Ben’s a young bowler with a quality skill set. He bowls with genuine pace and gets good bounce which is always a great asset in red-ball cricket. We’ve been really impressed by his performances for the BLACKCAPS in white ball cricket this summer and believe he can make the step up to the Test arena if called upon.”

Stead added, “It’s disappointing for Will to be ruled out, especially after making such a strong start to his international career. He’s shown he’s a player with huge potential and at 22-years-old we’re hopeful we will see a lot more of him in the Black Cap.”

New Zealand’s Test squad:

Tim Southee (c), Tom Blundell (wk), Matt Henry, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Kane Williamson, Will Young.

(With AFP Inputs)