Dunedin, Dec 18 – New Zealand will take no further risks with Kyle Jamieson’s hamstring and have ruled the tall pacer out of the remaining two matches of their ODI series against Bangladesh.
Jamieson reported some stiffness in his hamstring following the Kiwis recent tour of Bangladesh
and sat out the opening match of their 50-over series with the Asian side here on Sunday.
And the Black Caps have decided to keep Jamieson on ice ahead of a hectic upcoming schedule, with the 28-year-old to miss the final two matches of that series against Bangladesh.
Jamieson – who was Player of the Match in the inaugural ICC World Test Championship final in 2021 – has battled a back injury for much of the last 12 months and only made a return to playing in September this year following an extended period on the sidelines, an ICC report said.
Inexperienced right-arm seamer Ben Sears will remain in New Zealand’s squad for the final two ODI matches and Jamieson is expected to be fit to take on Bangladesh in the three-game T20I series that commences just after Christmas.
While disappointed in having to rule out Jamieson, New Zealand coach Gary Stead is confident Sears can perform well if given the chance to play his first ODI over the remainder of the series.
“There’s a lot of cricket ahead of us and we want to make sure Kyle’s in the best place possible without taking any unnecessary risks,” Stead said.
“As we flagged when naming the ODI Squad we see the series as a chance to provide opportunities to some new players, and Ben fits that category,” he added.
Finn Allen will also miss the second match of the series as he instead opts to play a domestic match for Auckland, with the attacking opener to re-join the squad for the third and final game of the series.
The second ODI between New Zealand and Bangladesh will be held in Nelson on Wednesday, with Napier to host the third match on Saturday.
New Zealand squad: Tom Latham, Adi Ashok (matches 2 and 3), Finn Allen (match 3), Tom Blundell, Kyle Jamieson, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Adam Milne, Henry Nicholls, Will O’Rourke, Rachin Ravindra, Will Young, Ben Sears.
