The competition to be New Zealand's next test wicketkeeper has been narrowed to two after incumbent Reece Young was dropped from the team to face Zimbabwe later this month.
BJ Watling and uncapped Kruger van Wyk will duke it out to take the gloves, with the pair today named in both the Black Caps 12-man squad and the New Zealand XI to take on Zimbabwe in a three-day match before the test. Watling appears to be the early favourite after coach John Wright confirmed he will be behind the stumps for the warm-up game.
"BJ will get a chance to prove himself with the gloves in the three-day game and Kruger will open the batting,'' Wright said. "A decision on who will take the gloves in the test will be made closer to the start of the match.''
Watling, 26, had been tipped as a contender to replace the much-maligned Young after he kept wicket for Northern Districts in their last two domestic Twenty20 matches, despite regular Knights keeper Pete McGlashan being fit and in the side.
The Knights denied they had received a request from the top to make the change, but the timing seemed all too convenient. Watling was a wicketkeeper through high school and age group cricket but found his spot behind the stumps blocked by McGlashan at provincial level. He has still played in six tests as a specialist batsman, averaging 24.5 as an opener.