Gary Stead on Scott Kuggeleijn selection: "I get given players I can select from, he was on list"

GEORGE DOBELL IN MOUNT MAUNGANUI: While Jacob Duffy's call is no surprise - only Matt Henry has claimed more than his 22 wickets at 21.36 in the Plunket Shield this season - the selection of Kuggeleijn is more controversial

Gary Stead has said it is not his job to make moral judgements in team selection after calling Scott Kuggeleijn into the New Zealand squad ahead of the first Test against England.

Stead, the New Zealand head coach, had been obliged to seek reinforcements for his squad after it became apparent that Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson would be unavailable. Jamieson has suffered a recurrence of a stress fracture to his lower back, while Henry is attending the birth of his child.

But while New Zealand could have recalled Trent Boult to their squad, they have instead called-up Jacob Duffy (from Otago Volts) and Kuggeleijn (from Northern Districts).

Boult announced last year that he would no longer be accepting a New Zealand central contract so that he could maximise his earning ability in franchise leagues in the final portion of his career. It was understood, however, that the 33-year-old would remain available for selection when his schedule permitted.  

While he has recently been playing in the IT20 league, he has now returned to New Zealand and lives around 20 minutes from Mount Maunganui. He has not, however, played any first-class cricket since June, when he featured in a Test in Leeds. 

^{Scott Kuggeleijn has been called into the New Zealand Test squad [Getty Images]}

Stead admits the team management considered calling for Boult but confirmed that, ultimately, it was decided not to do so.

"We discussed it internally but our decision was not to go with Trent on this occasion," Stead said. 

"We have spoken to Trent recently and it has been decided since he gave up his contract that we will give priority to the locally contracted players and we have done that on this occasion. It does not mean we have ruled Trent out from anything in the future. There will be ongoing discussion. We're not sure what the landscape of the cricket world will look like in six months. It might change again."

While Duffy's call is no surprise - only Henry has claimed more than his 22 wickets at 21.36 in the Plunket Shield this season - the selection of Kuggeleijn is more controversial. He was tried twice, once in 2016 and once in 2017, on the charge of rape. On the first occasion, a hung jury could not return a verdict; on the second he was found not guilty. The jury heard, however, that the woman had said "no" at least twice and that Kuggeleijn acknowledged in an apology to her the next day she had been "pressured into things". 

Stead, however, suggested the issue was not considered when deciding who to call up.

"I get given the players I can choose from and we have gone with a resilient character from a bowling point of view," Stead said. "When you lose two key bowlers, you look around and ask who are the guys who can do a job for us internationally and he is one who can."

Asked if there were any moral issues with the selection, Stead replied: "That is not my job I guess to do that. I get given the players I can select from and he was on the list."

Kuggeleijn has previously played limited-overs cricket for New Zealand, with his most recent appearance in September 2021. Some of his previous appearances in New Zealand have been marked by protests - including the unveiling of a banner saying 'no means no' - and a petition imploring his non-selection. 

^{Matt Henry, left, and Kyle Jamieson, right, will miss the first Test [Getty Images]}

He has had a modest domestic season at first-class level. In the Plunket Shield he has taken four wickets in three first-class games at a cost of 64 apiece. 

"Clearly it's a big blow for us," Stead said of losing Jamieson and Henry. "Both have been experienced guys within our team and the two guys we bring in will be debutants if they play. We are down a few players and you look back to Test championship time and there is no Boult or Colin de Grandhomme.

"In terms of Jamieson, it does look like bad bit of news. It has shown a stress fracture. We have tried to be conservative with his rehab process to make sure we have given him the best chance of coming back. It came as a surprise to us because he has not had a whole lot of back pain.

"It is a rebuilding stage for us and you are tested with your depth when you lose two players on the eve of the Test match. Scott and Jacob are both resilient and offer something different. I would be surprised if one of them does not debut in this Test match."

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