New Zealand fast bowlers Kyle Jamieson and Matt Henry are out of the first Test against England in Mount Maunganui starting Thursday.
Jamieson has been ruled out of the two-game Test series due to a suspected stress fracture in his back, which is a re-occurrence of the same injury that sidelined him last year.
Henry is unavailable as he has remained in Christchurch for the birth of his first child. The Black Caps are already without left-arm quick Trent Boult due to franchise commitments.
Jamieson has taken 72 wickets in 16 Tests at an impressive average of 19.45, while 31-year-old Henry has claimed 55 wickets in 18 Tests, including 14 in last year’s two-game home Test series against South Africa. Jamieson had taken three wickets from 15 overs in last week’s two-day tour game against England.
Uncapped duo Jacob Duffy and Scott Kuggeleijn have replaced the fast-bowling pair in the 14-man squad.
“It’s really gutting for Kyle to have this happen after he’d put so much hard work in to getting himself back on the park,” Black Caps head coach Gary Stead said.
“Since the injury in June we’ve certainly taken a cautious approach to managing his return with regular monitoring by our medical staff which has included scans. While Kyle’s not feeling any pain, the evidence is pretty clear he has a stress fracture and so he’ll return to Christchurch today and have a CT scan on Friday before we decide on the next steps.
“Family is always the priority in our environment and that’s informed the decision around Matt and his availability for the Test. We wish him and his wife Holly all the best as they await the birth of their first child in Christchurch.”
The New Zealand squad will also be bolstered by the arrivals of Tom Blundell and Henry Nicholls on Tuesday.
Blundell recently welcomed his second child, delaying his arrival, while Nicholls had his original flight from Christchurch cancelled due to Cyclone Gabrielle which had impacted the arrivals into camp of numerous players and support staff.
New Zealand have not lost a home Test series to England since 2008. The Black Caps lost a three-game Test series in England last year 3-0.
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