New Zealand loses Jamieson, Henry for 1st Test vs England

File picture of New Zealand’s Kyle Jamieson
| Photo Credit: Action Images via Reuters

Kyle Jamieson has been forced out of New Zealand’s first cricket Test against England that starts on Thursday because of a stress fracture of the back.

Fellow fast bowler Matt Henry is also unavailable because of the birth of his first child. Uncapped seamers Scott Kuggeleijn and Jacob Duffy have been called in as replacements.

Jamieson’s appearance for a New Zealand XI in a two-day tour match last week was his first since June, when he sustained the injury in England.

The injury flared up again this week and the team confirmed Tuesday he will not be able to play at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui. Scans showed up the fracture, which will require further examination and treatment.

“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,” New Zealand 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 so he’ll return to Christchurch today and have a CT scan on Friday before we decide on the next steps.” Batsmen Tom Blundell and Henry Nicholls have also been delayed in joining the team because of travel problems caused by Cyclone Gabrielle, which continues to batter New Zealand’s North Island.

Cyclone Gabrielle has affected the preparations of both teams, forcing them to practice indoors. The storm has brought high winds and flooding to most of the North Island and rain is expected on Thursday.