Taylor feels heat as Boult hits top speed

New Zealand finished their main training session ahead of the first Test against Australia with concerns allayed about the fitness of strike bowler Trent Boult, but heightened by the blow that star batter Ross Taylor sustained.

Taylor was struck on the right thumb and bicep while batting in the practice nets at Perth Stadium on Tuesday evening.

The 35-year-old was facing throw-downs from NZ strength and conditioning coach Chris Donaldson, a former Olympic sprinter, when a ball reared from the lively practice pitch and smashed into Taylor's bottom hand before deflecting on to his upper arm.

The right-hander immediately hurled his bat to the ground and tore off his protective batting glove to inspect the damage, before leaving the nets with the team physiotherapist and joking to his teammates "see you in Melbourne".

The potential loss of Taylor for the opening Domain Series Test match at Perth Stadium would have represented a significant blow for the visitors, given he scored 290 on his team's previous outing in Perth which remains the highest score by a visiting Test batter in Australia.

However, after returning to the Black Caps' dressing room and applying ice to his damaged digit, a team spokesman confirmed Taylor had been cleared of a fracture.

He also indicated the veteran would not be sent for x-rays, effectively confirming he will be fit to play when the Test starts on Thursday barring no further mishaps.

Prior to the incident, Boult had bowled a half-hour spell at top pace to dispel concerns he continued to be inconvenienced by the side strain he sustained during NZ's recent two-Test series against England.

After Taylor left the nets, Boult returned to deliver another over or two in keeping with Black Caps coach Gary Stead's insistence that the left-armer prove he is fully fit before the tourists finalise their starting XI for the three-match series opener.

"We've got to be really careful how we manage Trent over the next couple of days, if we do think he's going to start," Stead said of NZ's fourth-highest Test wicket-taker.

"You won't see him bowl 15 overs or so, but he does need to prove that he can get the intensity that we want."

Another positive for the visitors at today's training run was the sight of uncapped fast bowler Lockie Ferguson operating at full throttle.

Should Boult be ruled out of the first Test, Ferguson would be a handy replacement on a Perth pitch that is expected to offer plenty of pace and bounce, and may undergo cracking under the intense heat forecast for the match's duration.

"I think most wickets will suit Lockie," Stead said today.

"He has certainly got pace and we're acutely aware of that.

"People want to see the ball flying around, and look at Australia's attack, built around players like (Mitchell) Starc, (Pat) Cummins and (Josh) Hazlewood as well.

"The hard thing for us is how he fits into the team when we've had some success, with guys that have been consistently there."

Australia trained at the WACA Ground at the same time as their trans-Tasman rivals were negotiating the feisty training nets at the Test venue, before the home team ventured across the Swan River to conduct fielding drills under the Perth Stadium floodlights.

Earlier, Western Australia spinner Ashton Agar was involved in Australia's net session at the WACA on Tuesday afternoon, having returned to Perth early after WA's Sheffield Shield match against Victoria was called off due to the dangerous MCG pitch.

While Agar's name has been mentioned as a possible inclusion in the Test squad for the third match against NZ in Sydney, where Australia will consider the selection of a second spinner, team officials were quick to play down the significance of his appearance at today's session.

It was also noted that Agar's role in the nets had more to do with him building up his bowling loads than providing specific practice for Australia's Test batters against the sort of left-arm finger spin that NZ's Mitchell Santner will bring to the upcoming Domain Series.

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