The pace bowler from New Zealand Ben Sears has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy 2025 after a hamstring tear injury.
New Zealand has named Jacob Duffy, who is currently playing in the ongoing tri-series with Pakistan, as the replacement for Sears in the upcoming ICC 8-team tournament.
According to New Zealand Cricket, Sears experienced pain in his left hamstring during the first training session of the team in Karachi. After that, he went for a scan which revealed that he had a minor tear. According to doctors, the tear would need at least two weeks of rehabilitation. This meant that he would not be available for the final group match of India against New Zealand on March 2. So, New Zealand Cricket decided to replace him for the whole event.
The head coach of the team Gary Stead said, “We’re all really feeling for Ben. It’s always tough being ruled out of a major event at such a late stage, and it’s especially tough in Ben’s case given it would have been his first major ICC event.”
“The timeframes for Ben to be fit to play again meant he would likely miss the majority of the group stage, and given the short nature of the tournament, we felt it was appropriate to bring in a player who is fully fit and ready to go,” said Stead. “Ben is a player with huge potential and given the short rehabilitation timeframe, we’re sure he’ll be fit and raring to go for the home series against Pakistan back in New Zealand.”
He also added this about Duffy’s inclusion. “Jacob showed with his performances in the recent home series against Sri Lanka that he is more than capable at international level. He’s been part of the squad for the ODI Tri-Series so he’s fully acclimatized and he’s got plenty of experience in these conditions and is fit and ready to go. He’s another player who will be experiencing his first senior ICC event, so it will be an exciting few weeks ahead for him.”
New Zealand is set to start the Champions Trophy 2025 journey by facing Pakistan in Karachi on February 19.
