NZ hit by injury woes after first Test draw

Ross Taylor's injured calf has ruled him out of the second Test against South Africa, with New Zealand also sweating on key bowler Trent Boult.

Taylor suffered a low grade tear to his right calf while batting on Thursday during the first Test in Dunedin, which was ultimately drawn after day five was washed out completely.

He was able to return later in the innings but hobbled between the stumps.

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On Sunday it was confirmed he would miss the second Test in Wellington, which starts on Thursday, but may yet recover for the third match in Hamilton.

ODI batsman Neil Broom has been named as his replacement.

"With 18 first-class centuries Neil has shown ability in red-ball cricket over a long period of time," said Black Caps selector Gavin Larsen.

"While he hasn't played a Test, Neil still brings a considerable amount of experience and maturity to the side in Ross's absence.

"Neil's been a big part of our group over the course of the summer and this is another exciting opportunity for him."

Broom, 33, is yet to play Test cricket and after impressing for the Black Caps in ODIs against Bangladesh and Australia recently, his run of form came to an end with returns of 2, 2, 0 against South Africa.

"We've got quite an inexperienced batting line-up," said NZ coach Mike Hesson. "We were keen to have someone who had plenty of playing experience, somebody who played pace well and obviously Neil's had the advantage of seeing a little bit of South Africa earlier in the month.

"In terms of the middle order role he was an obvious selection for us."

Meanwhile, Boult, who left the field with a sore hip/groin on Saturday, will travel with the team to Wellington with hopes he will recover in time for the match.

Hesson said the soreness had improved since it cropped up on Saturday but would continue to be monitored.

"It's in that osteo-pubis area where it can cause issues," Hesson explained. "I'd say we probably have four or five guys that have that type of injury, some obviously come on through a heavy workload on a soft outfield."

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Matt Henry will join the squad in Wellington, which New Zealand Cricket was planned irrespective of Boult's fitness.

"The plan was always to bring in a fourth seam option for Wellington and therefore Matt has been called in," Larsen added.

"Matt has been impressive in the Plunket Shield since he returned and certainly comes into consideration for us."

The Test in Dunedin had been evenly poised heading into day five, with South Africa 6-224 in their second innings, 191 runs ahead of New Zealand.