Black Caps sweating on Ferguson fitness

It's not only Perth's relentless heatwave that has New Zealand's Test team sweating as they await results of scans taken to ascertain the extent of damage to injured fast bowler Lockie Ferguson's right calf.

Ferguson was living his dream earlier on Thursday when he was presented with his black cap to become the 277th men's player to represent his nation in the elite form of the game.

But shortly before tea on the day of his debut, he completed his 11th over clutching at his calf and took no part in the final session of the day that Australia ended 4-248.

Ferguson's fellow fast bowler Neil Wagner said after play that the results of the MRI scans taken at a nearby Perth hospital on Thursday evening were not yet known, but the Black Caps remained hopeful the injury was not as severe as had been initially thought.

However, if the 28-year-old has sustained a calf tear then he is unlikely to play no active role in the remainder of his first Test, and would be effectively ruled out of the final two matches of the three-game Domain Series.

"It's gutting, isn't it," Wagner said of Ferguson's cruel luck. "It's pretty heartbreaking and I know he'll be devastated.

"We'll all get right behind him and hopefully it's not too bad.

"We haven't heard anything back yet so hopefully it's good, or better news than what everyone is expecting.

"He's a quality player and we would have loved to see him bowl more, and see what he could have done."

Ferguson had suffered insult prior to his injury when he induced a rare false stroke from Australia's top-ranked batter Steve Smith (on 19) only for the sharp slips catch to be turfed by Tom Latham, who appeared to lose sight of the pink ball in the late-afternoon light.

Wagner indicated that he and his fellow Black Caps quicks had found it difficult to adjust to the playing surface at the Perth Stadium, where the outfield was hard compared to the softer condition of the pitch that had been regularly watered pre-game to enable it to better cope with the spell of 40C temperatures that will prevail through the Test.

He said it contrasted with the usual conditions they experienced in New Zealand where the outfields are lush and pitches baked hard, although he did not suggest that adapting to the change was responsible for Ferguson's mishap.

He also declined to speculate on how the potential loss of a key fast bowler, who was handed his Test cap when left-armer Trent Boult was deemed unavailable to play because of ongoing issues with a side strain, might impact workloads for the remainder of the Test.

Australia opener David Warner was also cautious about suggesting the possible absence of Ferguson would leave the visitors vulnerable given the extreme heat expected today and over the weekend.

Warner noted that New Zealand's remaining seamers – Tim Southee, Wagner and allrounder Colin de Grandhomme – were highly disciplined practitioners, and while they might be forced to shoulder additional burdens he did not foresee them losing their potency.

"Those guys bowl line and length and don't give you anything," Warner told cricket.com.au at day's end.

"You've got to have that respect there which you do all the time.

"We've got to keep respecting it, and try out best to negate them getting us out and just be really, really disciplined."

Warner admitted that with the Black Caps attack potentially curtailed – with spinners Mitchell Santner and Jeet Raval expected to pick up much of the shortfall should Ferguson be unavailable – there was a chance Australia's batters would look to cash in.

However, the left-hander also cautioned that the Black Caps' bowling plans – as implemented with notable effect on day one when they dried-up Australia's scoring capacity, especially to former skipper Smith – might make that a risky ploy.

"You're going to try and target someone if you can, but when they're bowling the right lengths and lines it's very difficult to do that," Warner said.

"You've got to apply some pressure somehow, try and push the ones either side (of the wicket), but the way that they bowled today they didn't give you width, or if they did give you width it was too wide to play at.

"We know the brand of cricket that they play and for us, it's about who plays the game better."

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Domain Test Series v New Zealand

Australia squad: Tim Paine (c), Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner.

New Zealand: Todd Astle, Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Jeet Raval, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, BJ Watling, Neil Wagner, Kane Williamson (c)

First Test: December 12-16, Perth Stadium day-night (Seven, Fox & Kayo)

Second Test: December 26-30, MCG (Seven, Fox & Kayo)

Third Test: January 3-7, SCG (Seven, Fox & Kayo)