New Zealand’s star all-rounder Daryl Mitchell is set to miss the ongoing T20I tri-series between Pakistan and Bangladesh after sustaining a finger injury during a nets session.
The all-rounder suffered a blow to his right hand which fractured his fifth metacarpal (little finger) ahead of New Zealand's first game against Pakistan in Christchurch on Saturday.
Kiwi’s physio Theo Kapakoulakis confirmed that Mitchell’s hand had to be plastered after the games and will remain in place for at least two weeks, meaning the all-rounder will miss the ongoing Tri-series.
The injury has come at an unfortunate time for the Kiwi camp with the World Cup being set to kick off in neighbouring Australia on October 16. Mitchell’s injury is an added cause for concern for coach Gary Stead, with the team set to leave for Australia on October 15.
“It’s a real shame for Daryl to suffer this injury on the eve of an exciting period of cricket for the side. Daryl's become a really important player to our T20 unit and we’re certainly going to miss his all-round skills and versatility in the Tri-Series,” Stead said.
“With our first game of the World Cup in just over two weeks, we need to take some to consider Daryl’s recovery timeline and his potential involvement in the tournament.”
Mitchell’s replacement for the tri-series is expected to be announced soon in due time.
Squads
New Zealand
Martin Guptill, Finn Allen, Kane Williamson(c), Devon Conway(w), Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Lockie Ferguson, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Adam Milne, Ish Sodhi, Michael Bracewell
Pakistan
Mohammad Rizwan(w), Babar Azam(c), Shan Masood, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Usman Qadir, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain
