ENG vs NZ | Kyle Jamieson to be sidelined for three to four months owing to back surgery
Kyle Jamieson will be away from action for at least three or four months
|(ICC)
New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson will be away from the cricket field for three or four months as he is set to undergo a back injury. The bowler had already suffered a stress fracture earlier but MRI scans after the suspected recurrence of the damage confirmed the need of surgery for recovery.
After suffering a 267-run defeat against England, New Zealand have one more issue to address for their upcoming schedule. Kyle Jamieson was already ruled out of the series with a stress fracture but now the MRI scans have confirmed that the bowler needs back surgery. No specific timeline has been put on the 27-year-old Jamiesonās recovery but he is expected to be out of action for at least three or four months.Ā
Head coach Gary SteadĀ on Monday confirmed the development stating that it will be a big miss for the side.Ā
"It's been a challenging and difficult time for Kyle and a big loss for us. He's been fantastic around all of our sides when he's been part of them. We just wish him well and hopefully, we'll know more in three to four months of what that end prognosis looks for him as well,ā Stead stated in an official statement.Ā
"A number of world-class players have had surgery in the back and it's different periods of time they recover. We just want Kyle [to get] the best chance of recovery because we know what a star he's been for us.ā
"Surgery provides a quicker return to play and that's the encouraging thing for him."
Mainly, the Blackcaps will miss Jamiesnās experience of taking 72 wickets from 16 matches. However, Matt Henry will be rejoining the team for the second match after he missed the first fixture for the birth of his first child. Jacob Duffy and Ish Sodhi have been released from the team for the Plunket Shield cricket later this week.
England once again displayed āBazballā in the game with totals of 325/9 and 306. The scoring rate in both innings for the visitors was 5.57 and 5.06 respectively. Reflecting on the defeat in the first Test, Stead said that the team would be looking forward to controlling the pace of Englandās innings and inking a victory.Ā
"I think there's a couple of things that stood out to me during the Test. The way England are playing isn't a surprise to us at all, but they are playing very, very well. And I guess for us it's finding ways we can counter that and I guess slow them down and the pace at which they're playing the game,ā he stated.
