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Key Points

New Zealand's pace attack takes another hit as Will O'Rourke is ruled out of the second Test against Zimbabwe due to a back injury. Ben Lister remains with the squad as cover and could make his Test debut. Nathan Smith is also sidelined with an abdominal strain, compounding NZ's injury woes. Captain Tom Latham remains hopeful of returning after missing the first Test with a shoulder issue.

Key Points: Will O'Rourke Ruled Out of Zimbabwe Test Due to Back Injury

  • O'Rourke suffered back stiffness in NZ's first Test win
  • Ben Lister remains in squad for potential debut
  • Nathan Smith also out with abdominal strain
  • Tom Latham hopes to return for second Test
2 min read

Will O'Rourke ruled out of Zimbabwe Test with back injury

New Zealand's Will O'Rourke sidelined for second Zimbabwe Test with back injury, adding to NZ's growing injury concerns ahead of the series finale.

"O’Rourke has been sent home to undergo further assessment. — New Zealand Cricket"

Bulawayo, Aug 6

New Zealand have suffered another injury blow, as the pace bowler Will O’Rourke has been ruled out of the second Test against Zimbabwe with a back injury, New Zealand Cricket said on Wednesday.

O’Rourke experienced back stiffness on day three of the New Zealand's nine-wicket win in the first Test last week after taking three for 28 from his 10 overs in the second innings.

NZC said O'Rourke has been sent home to undergo further assessment. Left-arm seamer Ben Lister, who was called in to provide additional pace-bowling cover, will remain with the squad for the series and could be in contention to win a Test debut for the second and final Test of the series that commences on Thursday.

The right-armer is the second pace bowler that won't feature in the second Test because of injury after all-rounder Nathan Smith, who sustained the injury while batting on day two of the first Test in Bulawayo, and a subsequent MRI has confirmed an abdominal strain which will require approximately two to four weeks recovery.

Earlier, Test captain Tom Latham was ruled out of the first Test with a shoulder injury but reamained with the squad with the hope he will be fit for the second Test.

White-ball captain Mitch Santner led the team in the first Test, becoming New Zealand's 32nd men’s Test captain.

Ahead of the Zimababwe tour, batting allrounder Glenn Phillips withdrawn from the tour after injuring his right groin during the Major League Cricket (MLC) final. Bracewell, who was not considered in the original squad due to his commitments with The Hundred overlapping with the two-Test series in Bulawayo, had replaced Phillips in the squad.

New Zealand squad: Mitchell Santner (c), Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Matthew Fisher, Zakary Foulkes, Matt Henry, Ben Lister, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Rachin Ravindra, Will Young

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Why are so many players getting injured in this series? Is it the pitch conditions or poor fitness management? New Zealand should seriously look into this. Zimbabwe might actually have a chance now!
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Arjun K
Back injuries are the worst for fast bowlers! Remember what happened to our own Zaheer Khan. NZ should handle O'Rourke carefully - he's a promising talent. Better to rest him now than risk long-term damage.
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Sarah B
As someone who follows both Indian and NZ cricket, I think this is a great opportunity for Ben Lister to prove himself. Sometimes injuries open doors for new talent - just like Mohammed Siraj got his chance for India!
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Vikram M
The scheduling is crazy these days! Players are constantly switching formats and leagues (MLC to Tests?). No wonder injuries are increasing. BCCI was right to protect our players from too much franchise cricket.
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Kavya N
Santner did well as stand-in captain in the first Test. But with so many injuries, his leadership will be really tested now. Reminds me of when Dhoni had to manage our injury-hit team in Australia!

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