Lockie Ferguson ruled out of Sri Lanka T20I series

Ferguson, 28, who was one of the stars for New Zealand in the2019 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, was injured a day prior to the first T20I in Pallekele. Scans revealed a small fracture to middle joint of his thumb.

Gary Stead, the New Zealand coach, confirmed on Sunday, 1 September that Ferguson will be heading home in the coming days. "It's a shame for Lockie to have to miss this series, especially coming off the back of such an impressive World Cup campaign in England," he said.

"The thumb has been put in a splint and is expected to take four to six weeks to recover; so we're optimistic he'll be available for the five-game T20 series against England, which starts on November 1 in Christchurch."

"We won't name a replacement at this stage as we're confident we have adequate cover within the T20 squad who are here."

The second and third T20Is will take place on Tuesday and Friday, respectively.