Cricket: Boult's health critical for Black Caps' chances

Trent Boult didn't bowl during the two-day match against a Western Australia XI in Perth over the last two days. Photo / Getty

A bowling session in the Adelaide Oval nets on Wednesday is shaping as pivotal for New Zealand's prospects in the deciding this test against Australia.

Watching net practice can be tedious; equally little nuggets of information can come from observation. With rugby, by contrast, there's a greater chance of physical mishap and therefore more talking points.

However this session should be worth a look.

For it's on Wednesday that New Zealand's best swing bowler, Trent Boult, will be out to prove his readiness for the third test starting on Friday.

Put simply, no Boult and New Zealand's chances of squaring the series in the historic first day-night test take a hit.

The world's No 6 bowler is top class. His problem is a back complaint he's found hard to shake off going back to New Zealand's tour of England in mid-year.

Essentially it's an irritated disc, according to coach Mike Hesson, not dissimilar to that which threatened new ball partner Tim Southee's series when it flared up at Brisbane on the first day of the rubber this month.

In Southee's case, after a few days rest and treatment, it came right and indeed Southee was the pick of a much-improved New Zealand attack in the drawn second test in Perth.

Boult did no bowling in the two-day practice game against the West Australian XI at the Waca over the weekend. He sent down a few deliveries in the nets on Sunday but he'll arrive in the nets not having bowled full out for seven days.

Hesson is no medical expert but he gave an insightful opinion on how Boult was travelling at the end of the second test last week.

''I guess when you come back from a back injury, there's an element of confidence and also being able to know when you can push through and when you can't," Hesson said.

''He's still not quite where he normally is but we're hopeful."

Hesson didn't give Boult a roaring endorsement on his readiness for Adelaide yesterday; but neither did he offer a completely gloomy prognosis.

Obviously only the left armer knows how his back feels and he's not talking.

He's taken six wickets in the first two tests, three times removing Australia's skipper Steve Smith - bowling him with a beauty in the first innings at Brisbane - and twice dismissing in-form opener David Warner.

At this stage it's hard to put a percentage on Boult's prospects. But on one point Hesson was emphatic - ''He's got to bowl flat out two days out from the test."

New Zealand are likely to favour a similar team composition as at Perth - four seamers and Mark Craig the sole spinner.

If Boult is ruled out, another left armer with a different skill set, Neil Wagner, would come in. If Boult is fit, Wagner might even displace Matt Henry after a strong display against the WA XI.

- By David Leggat in Adelaide