Trent Boult has been ruled out of the second Test against South Africa at the Hagley Oval this week. Boult missed New Zealand's crushing win in the first Test as he and his wife welcomed their third child. While the 32-year-old will train with the squad in the build-up to this week's Test, he'll next don the New Zealand colours only in June during the team's tour of England with New Zealand Cricket expected to allow IPL-bound players to miss the series against Netherlands. "Trent Boult isn't in a position to be available for this Test match with his loads and where he's at, at the moment," Stead said on Monday (February 21). "Since [he was on paternity leave] as well he's missed out on a lot of opportunities to play cricket and bowl. We just felt the risk of him playing was far too great at the moment to do that to him."

Boult's absence in the first Test paved the way for Matt Henry's inclusion in the XI, an opportunity he grabbed sensationally by taking a seven-fer in the first innings and thereby setting the tone for New Zealand's dominant victory by an innings and 276 runs - only their fifth win against South Africa. "He's always been a good bowler and sometimes you need that opportunity to strike and make the most of it and he certainly made the most of the opportunity that was in front of him," Stead said about Henry. "He hits the top of off stump and was regularly in that area and he asked hard, hard questions of the batsmen and did it for long periods of time. "The Black Caps will keep the same 15-man squad from the first Test, meaning Central Districts spinner Ajaz Patel will miss out on selection for the fourth straight Test since taking a historic 10-wicket bag in India. Stead told reporters the inclusion of a spinner in the squad for the second Test had been considered but didn't think it would be required on the Hagley Oval pitch. Meanwhile, Black Caps captain Kane Williamson will miss another game for his country due to an elbow injury, although Stead said his rehabilitation was going well.