In a setback for New Zealand’s cricket team, fast bowler Will O’Rourke will miss the second Test match against Zimbabwe due to a back injury, according to an announcement by New Zealand Cricket on Wednesday.
O’Rourke felt stiffness in his back during the third day of the first Test, which New Zealand won by nine wickets last week. In that game, he bowled 10 overs in the second innings and took three wickets for 28 runs. The NZC stated that O’Rourke has returned home for more medical tests.
Ben Lister, a left-arm seamer who was brought in to add depth to the pace attack, will stay with the team for the rest of the series. He might get a chance to make his Test debut in the second and final Test, which starts on Thursday.
O’Rourke is the second New Zealand pace bowler to be sidelined for the second Test due to injury. All-rounder Nathan Smith is also out after getting injured while batting on the second day of the first Test in Bulawayo. An MRI scan showed an abdominal strain, which will take about two to four weeks to heal.
Before the first Test, captain Tom Latham was ruled out due to a shoulder injury, but he stayed with the team in the hope of being fit for the second Test.
Mitch Santner, the captain for the limited-over formats, led the team in the first Test. By doing so, he became the 32nd man to captain New Zealand in a Test match.
Before the Zimbabwe tour, batting all-rounder Glenn Phillips withdrew from the squad after hurting his right groin during the Major League Cricket (MLC) final. Doug Bracewell, who wasn’t initially picked for the squad because his commitments with The Hundred conflicted with the two-Test series in Bulawayo, replaced Phillips in the squad.
The New Zealand squad is as follows: Mitchell Santner (captain), Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Matthew Fisher, Zakary Foulkes, Matt Henry, Ben Lister, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Rachin Ravindra, and Will Young.