Star New Zealand pacer Adam Milne was on Friday ruled out of the upcoming T20 World Cup with a hamstring injury, with 31-year-old Kyle Jamieson named as his replacement in the squad, the board announced.
Milne was in action for the Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20 on Sunday, January 18.
Milne sustained the injury while bowling in the SA20 on Sunday, with X-rays later confirming the severity of the damage.
Jamieson, already part of New Zealand’s white-ball tour of India, has been added to the T20 World Cup team after serving as the travelling reserve for the February-March tournament in India and Sri Lanka.
“We are all gutted for Adam. He had worked so hard to get himself ready for the tournament and was looking back to his best in his eight matches for the Eastern Cape Sunrisers,” coach Rob Walter was quoted as saying in the statement.
“It is unfortunate timing for Adam and we wish him a speedy recovery. It is great that Kyle is already with us here in India. He is an integral member of our pace-bowling group and has hit the ground running on this tour,” Walter added.
The coach confirmed that a replacement travelling reserve for the T20 World Cup will be announced in due course.
New Zealand will play their only warm-up game against the USA on February 6 in Mumbai. Their first match is against Afghanistan on Sunday, February 8, in Chennai. After playing the UAE at the same venue on February 10, New Zealand will travel to Ahmedabad, where they will face South Africa on Sunday, February 15.
New Zealand’s last group game will be against Canada on February 17 in Chennai. They would be eager to go past the league stage this time, having finished third in Group C in 2024, after being thrashed by Afghanistan and the Windies.
