Injured Lockie Ferguson to miss Sri Lanka ODI series
New Zealand's pace spearhead Lockie Ferguson has been ruled out of the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka due to a calf injury. The 33-year-old pacer picked up the injury during New Zealand's win in the second T20I of the recently concluded series. Although Ferguson left the field early, he had already made his mark by picking a hat-trick in just 12 deliveries.
Adam Milne to replace injured Ferguson
Adam Milne has been named as Ferguson's replacement in New Zealand's squad. The first match of the ODI series will be played in Dambulla on Wednesday (November 13). Milne will join the inexperienced bowling unit comprising Jacob Duffy and Nathan Smith for the three ODIs against Sri Lanka.
Ferguson's injury and recovery
Ferguson will return home for further scans to assess how bad his injury is and how much rehabilitation time he will need. This setback comes just days after his return from a right hamstring injury. Head coach Gary Stead was disappointed with Ferguson's early exit from the tour but remained hopeful of a swift recovery.
Stead's comments on Ferguson's injury
Stead also acknowledged Ferguson's massive contribution to the team. "He showed in the space of just two overs what an asset he is with the ball and he's also brought a lot of leadership to this group," he said. He added while it's tough for any player to be ruled out early in a tour, they are hopeful about his quick recovery. Stead also welcomed Milne into the squad as a like-for-like replacement.
Ferguson's career and Milne's inclusion
Since his debut in December 2016, Ferguson has played for New Zealand in one Test, 65 ODIs, and 43 T20Is. His last outing saw him record New Zealand's sixth T20I hat-trick. With him missing out, the team will now depend on a relatively inexperienced seam-bowling attack. However, Milne's addition with experience of 49 ODIs and 53 T20Is is likely to offset this a little.
