Australia vs New Zealand: Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme to travel to Perth for first Test, confirms NZC

Auckland: New Zealand Cricket (NZC) on Friday confirmed that both Trent Boult and Colin de Grandhomme will be travelling to Perth for the upcoming first Test against Australia. The duo, who were suffering from injuries, trained at Mount Maunganui. Both Boult and de Grandhomme had missed the second Test against England in Hamilton. “INJURY UPDATE | Trent Boult and Colin de Grandhomme are both making good progress with their injuries and successfully trained today at Bay Oval. The pair will travel with the team to Perth tomorrow. #AUSvNZ,” New Zealand Cricket tweeted.

INJURY UPDATE | Trent Boult and Colin de Grandhomme are both making good progress with their injuries and successfully trained today at Bay Oval. The pair will travel with the team to Perth tomorrow. #AUSvNZ pic.twitter.com/ROdtvaofvL

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) December 6, 2019

Boult was able to bowl just one over on the final day of the first Test match and he went off the field after suffering pain on the right side of his ribs. “An MRI scan yesterday confirmed Boult had strained one of the muscles overlying his ribs on his right-hand side but cleared him of any bone stress. Colin de Grandhomme has a tear to his left lower abdominal muscle, sustained during the second fielding innings in the first Test win over England at Bay Oval,” NZC had said in an official statement. In Boult’s absence, Matt Henry played the second Test against England. On the other hand, De Grandhomme averages 40.33 with the bat and 29.63 with the ball in 19 Tests. His injury allowed Daryl Mitchell to come in. In the second Test against England, Mitchell went on to score 73 in his debut innings New Zealand had defeated England 1-0 in the two-match Test series and they will now face Australia in a three-match series. The first Test will be played at Perth from 12 to 16 December. The series will be a part of the World Test Championship.