Roach ruled out of Day 2 as West Indies’ injury woes deepen in Mount Maunganui Test

Mount Maunganui: West Indies’ struggles in the ongoing Test series against New Zealand continued on Friday as senior fast bowler Kemar Roach was ruled out of the second day’s play due to a hamstring injury.

Roach pulled up while bowling his 89th over late on the opening day, clutching his hamstring before leaving the field after completing the over. He did not take part in the morning warm-ups on Friday, and broadcasters later confirmed that the experienced pacer was unavailable for Day 2. The extent of the injury and his potential return remain unclear.

Compounding West Indies’ problems, batter Shai Hope was also unavailable on Friday after falling ill and remaining at the team hotel.

The setbacks come at a difficult time for the visitors, who managed to claim only one wicket on the opening day and now face the prospect of conceding a massive first-innings total. New Zealand opener Devon Conway moved on to a commanding double century, firmly placing the hosts in control.

With Roach sidelined, West Indies’ seam attack is now heavily reliant on Jayden Seales, who has taken just five wickets in five innings on the tour so far. He is being supported by Anderson Phillip and Justin Greaves, though the latter also briefly left the field during the second session. In his absence, Tauranga local Sebastian Heath came on as a substitute fielder.

Injury concerns have plagued the West Indies camp throughout the series. Ojay Shields and Tagenarine Chanderpaul have both been managing niggles, further stretching an already thin squad.

New Zealand, too, have faced fitness issues earlier in the series. Matt Henry and Nathan Smith were sidelined during the Christchurch Test, where West Indies produced a resilient performance to secure a dramatic draw. Blair Tickner’s involvement in the second Test was also curtailed, while wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell recovered from a hamstring injury sustained on the opening day of the series to return for the third Test.

West Indies trail the three-match series 1–0 and have endured a difficult run in the 2025–27 World Test Championship, losing six of their previous seven matches. For New Zealand, this series marks their first assignment of the new championship cycle, having already recorded one win and one draw.