Karachi: New Zealand’s struggle with injuries are continued and the team has suffered another blow ahead of the Champions Trophy. Star pacer Lockie Ferguson is ruled out of the tournament while Kyle Jamieson is roped in as his replacement. The tournament is set to begin on February 19 and New Zealand will square off against Pakistan in the tournament opener. New Zealand head coach Gary Stead and skipper Mitchell Santner will now have the responsibility to chalk out plans without the services of the key pacer.
There was already uncertainty around his spot in the playing XI as he was struggling with injuries. But, now his absence adds to the growing list of setbacks for the Blackcaps. Ferguson had sustained an injury on his right foot while playing for Desert Vipers in the ILT20. The 33-year-old was forced to leave the field mid-match and his spell was completed by Mohammad Amir.
Just a day before their #ChampionsTrophy opener against Pakistan, New Zealand have been hit with a major blow 😮
— ICC (@ICC) February 18, 2025
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He also missed the recent tri-series involving South Africa and Pakistan but was hopeful of recovering from the injury. He participated in the warm-up match against Afghanistan and bowled three overs. However, he failed discomfort after that and left the field. The medical team then diagnosed him and arrived at the conclusion that he was not fit enough to take part in the entire tournament.
New Zealand have named Jamieson to fill in the shoes of Ferguson. The all-rounder has 13 ODIs scoring 511 runs and taking 13 wickets. He last featured in an ODI against Bangladesh in 2023 scoring 20 runs and clocking figures of 23/2 after seven overs.
