Kyle Jamieson Ruled Out Of The Third Test Against England In Headingley Due To Back Injury

Kyle Jamieson will need around four to six weeks to recover before starting rehab. He could return to action in September-October.

New Delhi: A magnificent century by Jonny Bairstow knocked the stuffing out of New Zealand as England crushed the Kiwis by five wickets to go 2-0 up in the three-match Test series. Bairstow played a 136-run knock in just 92 balls, scoring the second-fastest century by an England batter in Test, to help England chase 299 in 50 overs on the final day.

The Test champions will now be looking for a consolation win in the third Test in Leeds that gets underway on June 23. Ahead of the match, New Zealand has received a massive blow as one of their premier pacers, Kyle Jamieson has been ruled out of the match due to a back injury he picked up while bowling in the second innings. Jamieson did come out to bat in New Zealand’s second innings but didn’t bowl in the fourth inning. Jamieson’s absence did hurt New Zealand as the bowling unit failed to save the match.

New Zealand coach Gary Stead felt that a fully fit Jamieson would have been a huge plus for New Zealand in the quest to win the second Test. He revealed that Jamieson will need four to six weeks to recover before starting a rehabilitation program with a target to return to the field in September-October.

“Kyle had played such a big role in the first Test at Lord’s and I know how disappointed he was to have had his involvement in the second Test curtailed,” Stead was quoted as saying by India Today.

“He’s obviously a huge asset for us and we’ll be making sure we are patient with his recovery to ensure he returns fully fit with plenty more important cricket still to come later this year,” he added.

Meanwhile, pacer Blair Tickner has been added to the New Zealand squad as a replacement for Kyle Jamieson.