New Zealand pacer Adam Milne has been ruled out of the ongoing limited-overs tour of Europe due to an Achilles injury. Milne suffered pain during the team’s first net session in Ireland. He will now be available for the two T20Is against the Netherlands in early August.
Jacob Duffy, who appeared in the second ODI against Ireland, has been added to the T20I squad as a replacement for Milne. After the three matches in Ireland and two in Scotland, the Black Caps will head to the Netherlands. Notably, Duffy was Player of the Match on his T20I debut against Pakistan in 2020.
“We’re naturally disappointed for Adam. He’s a great character in any team, and I am sure he’ll apply his strong will to this next phase of rehabilitation. There is still a lot of cricket to come this year, including the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia, and Adam is determined to make himself available to be part of that selection picture,” said coach Shane Jurgensen on Friday (July 15).
“We’re backing Jacob to step up. He’s made an exciting start to his white ball international career. He’s an established performer in our Dream11 Super Smash and showed on his T20I debut against Pakistan that he can transfer those skills to international cricket,” he added.
New Zealand squad (updated):
Mitchell Santner (captain), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Dane Cleaver (wk), Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Michael Rippon, Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner
