Bulawayo [Zimbabwe], August 6 (ANI): Ahead of the second and final Test against Zimbabwe, New Zealand seamer Will O’Rourke has suffered an injury and has been ruled out of the game, which will be played from August 7 to 11, as per the ICC.
O’Rourke experienced back stiffness on the third day of New Zealand’s nine-wicket triumph over Zimbabwe in the first Test and has been sent home to undergo further assessment.
It means back-up pacer Ben Lister will remain with the squad in Zimbabwe and could be in contention to win a Test debut for the second and final Test of the series that commences on Thursday.
O’Rourke picked up figures of 3/28 during the second innings for New Zealand in the first Test to help the Black Caps claim the series advantage.
The right-armer is the second pace bowler that won’t feature in the second Test because of injury after all-rounder Nathan Smith was previously ruled out of the contest due to an abdominal strain.
Zak Foulkes, who recently featured for the Black Caps in the T20I tri-series against Zimbabwe and South Africa, has received his maiden call-up to the Test squad as a replacement for Smith, as per the ICC.
Foulkes snapped two wickets in the three games he bowled, including the final, which New Zealand edged out by three runs against the Proteas.
Smith, who was a part of the Black Caps’ nine-wicket win against Zimbabwe in the first Test, picked up an injury while batting in New Zealand’s first innings and eventually retired hurt on 22*.
He also nabbed three wickets for the visitors in the first innings.
However, on Day 2 in Bulawayo, Smith sustained the injury while batting, and a subsequent MRI confirmed that he had picked up an abdominal strain.
New Zealand squad: Mitchell Santner (c), Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Matthew Fisher, Zakary Foulkes, Matt Henry, Ben Lister, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Rachin Ravindra, Will Young. (ANI)
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