Lockie Ferguson of New Zealand has been ruled out of the ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE due to a calf tear. It was revealed just minutes before his team’s first game against Pakistan on Tuesday.
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The 30-year-old injury-prone bowler had played the rescheduled Indian Premier League matches and had bowled three overs in the warm-up match against Australia on October 20.
“Ferguson felt tightness in his right calf after training last night (Tuesday), and a subsequent MRI scan on game day revealed a grade two tear that would require three to four weeks recovery,” New Zealand Cricket said in a press release.
“With the BlackCaps scheduled to play five pool games over the next 13 days, coach Gary Stead said they had no choice but to exclude Ferguson from the tournament.”
“It’s a real shame that this happened on the eve of the tournament for Lockie, and the entire team is really feeling for him right now,” Stead said.
“He’s a huge part of our T20 side and has been in such good form, so losing him now is a huge blow.”
We are fortunate, however, to have a like-for-like replacement in the form of Adam Milne, who has been training with the squad for the past two weeks.”
Stead stated that Ferguson would be replaced in the 15-man tournament squad by Milne, subject to ICC Technical Committee approval.
Milne is already in the UAE with the team as travelling injury cover, but he won’t be able to play until ICC approval is received, making him unavailable for the Group Two match against Pakistan in Sharjah.
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