Neil Wagner fractures finger in his bowling hand during domestic match. PHOTO: AFP
WELLINGTON: New Zealand pacer Neil Wagner is doubtful for next month’s home Test series against South Africa after fracturing a finger in his bowling hand in a domestic match on Wednesday.
The left-armer suffered the injury while fielding a ball off his own bowling during a match for the Otago Volts.
“The initial assessment is that Neil will require four to six weeks for recovery, but we’ll be in a position to make a better judgement on that in the next couple of weeks,” said coach Mike Hesson in a statement.
“Neil’s an important member of our Test side and he is obviously desperate to play in such a big series, so we’ll do everything we can to get him back on the park as soon as possible,” he added.
Guptill out of second ODI
The three-match series begins in Dunedin on March 8.
Meanwhile, New Zealand have added leg-spinner Ish Sodhi to their squad for the third and final ODI against Australia on Sunday.
Opening batsman Martin Guptill is doubtful for the match due to concerns over a hamstring injury that saw him overlooked for selection for the second ODI in Napier on Thursday, which was abandoned due to an unsafe outfield.
Second New Zealand-Australia ODI washed out
“Martin has made progress in the last couple of days, but it’s not yet clear whether he’ll be available for selection,” said New Zealand selector Gavin Larsen. “At this stage, it’s probably 50-50.”
The hosts lead the series 1-0.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ