Injury concerns hit New Zealand ahead of Australia T20Is
Matt Henry and Tim Seifert have been ruled out due to injury, while Ben Sears and Will Young have been called up as their replacements.
Henry suffered hip soreness following the second Test in the recently concluded series against South Africa. The fast bowler will require a short period of rest and strengthening in a bid to be fit for the Test series against Australia later in the month. Seifert meanwhile has been withdrawn due to a torn abductor while training for Northern Districts earlier in the week.
New Zealand pacer Matt Henry is eyeing the biggest prize at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023
Wellington quick Sears and Central Districts batter Young have been called in as their replacement, and Black Caps coach Gary Stead was confident of both injured players making swift recoveries.
“Matt’s understandably disappointed, but a break for the T20s will ensure he’s fully fit and ready to go for the Tests against Australia later this month,” Stead stated.
“We’re gutted for Tim who has been a strong performer over recent series and is an important part of the squad.
“We’re hopeful he’ll make a swift recovery ahead of an important period of T20I cricket for the team.”
Squad for Australia T20Is: Mitchell Santner (c), Finn Allen, Trent Boult (for games 2 & 3), Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Devon Conway (wk), Lockie Ferguson, Adam Milne, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee (for game 1), Will Young
A smooth 70 off 80 from Will Young helped New Zealand consolidate their position in their ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 encounter against Netherlands.
Stead believed that Sears and Young were able replacements.
“Ben showed in his recent performances against Pakistan that he is a talented T20 bowler capable of influencing games of cricket for New Zealand.
“Will has been a regular in the environment across formats for some time now and his recent performances for the Central Stags in the Super Smash show he his more than capable to contribute at this level.”
The series might be a potential T20I debut for Josh Clarkson. The all-rounder was a part of the Kiwi squad for their third T20I against Pakistan, however, was replaced due to a shoulder injury.
T20I series schedule:
1st T20I, February 21, Sky Stadium, Wellington
2nd T20I, February 23, Eden Park, Auckland
3rd T20I, February 25, Eden Park, Auckland