New Zealand batter Rachin Ravindra will miss the upcoming Chappell-Hadlee T20I series against Australia. He suffered a serious facial injury during training at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui. The left-hander crashed into the boundary boards while fielding in practice. Although he cleared his initial concussion checks, doctors had to perform complex stitching to treat the wound.
Selectors responded by recalling James Neesham to the squad. The allrounder recently featured in New Zealand’s T20 tri-series in Zimbabwe, where he played one match.
“We’re all really disappointed for Rachin to be forced to miss the series,” head coach Rob Walter said. “He sustained a major laceration to his upper lip and nose area which required specialist and intricate stitching and will take time to heal. Rachin is obviously an important player for us, but his health and wellbeing is our top priority, and so the decision was made to send him home to recover with an eye to being available for the England series in two weeks’ time.”
Ravindra’s Absence Adds to New Zealand’s Growing Injury List
Ravindra’s exclusion comes at a crucial time. He had been enjoying one of his most productive T20I runs, with recent scores of 69, 30, 3, 63, and 47. His strong form secured his place in the batting order, and losing him now gives the Black Caps another challenge.
New Zealand’s injury list continues to grow ahead of the three-match series, which will take place over just four days. They are already without Mitchell Santner (abdominal injury), Will O’Rourke (back), Glenn Phillips (groin), Finn Allen (foot), Adam Milne (ankle), Lockie Ferguson (hamstring), and Kane Williamson (unavailable).
With Neesham returning, Tim Robinson might also come into contention as a batting option for the opening clash on Wednesday. The Kiwis now face a tougher challenge without Ravindra as they aim to stay competitive against Australia in the prestigious Chappell-Hadlee T20I series.
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