Trent Boult will not feature in the second Test against South Africa at the Hagley Oval this week with New Zealand unwilling to risk an injury to the fast bowler who hasn't had sufficient training time to bear the workload of a Test match.
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.
"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.
