Rachin Ravindra suffers laceration due to a freak incident; now ruled out of NZ vs AUS T20Is

New Zealand’s preparations for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy T20I series against Australia have been jolted by the absence of Rachin Ravindra, who has been ruled out after suffering a freak injury during training in Mount Maunganui.

Poor Rachin Ravindra

The young allrounder collided with a boundary hoarding while chasing down a ball in practice on Tuesday, leaving him with a deep facial cut that required specialist stitches. The incident comes barely months after Ravindra endured another blow to the face earlier this year, when he was struck on the forehead while attempting a catch under lights in Lahore during a tri-series match against South Africa. That injury had forced him out of the Champions Trophy opener against Pakistan.

This latest setback is particularly frustrating for the Black Caps, given Ravindra’s importance for the side. New Zealand coach Rob Walter admitted the team was gutted to lose him for the series but stressed that the player’s health had to take precedence. “He sustained a major laceration to his upper lip and nose area which required intricate stitching. Rachin is an important part of our set-up, but his wellbeing is the priority. We’ve sent him home to recover and hope he’ll be ready for the England series in two weeks’ time,” Walter said.

Jimmy Neesham steps in as experienced replacement

To fill the void, New Zealand have turned to Jimmy Neesham, who joins the squad ahead of the opener at Bay Oval. Neesham, with 84 T20Is under his belt, last featured for the side during their tour of Zimbabwe in July. “We’re lucky to be able to call on Jimmy who brings all his experience and all-round capabilities.”

The three-match series begins today at Bay Oval, with the remaining two fixtures also set to be played at the same venue on October 3 and 4. Updated New Zealand T20I squad for Australia series is below.

Tim Seifert (w), Devon Conway, Tim Robinson, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell (c), Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, Zakary Foulkes, Jimmy Neesham, Ben Sears

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