New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson suffered another injury which ruled him out of the ILT20 tournament last month. He has been ruled out of the current BBL due to injury and his participation in New Zealand’s tour of India is also uncertain.
Modern day players are more troubled by injuries than their competitors. The fitness level of the new-age cricketers is relatively higher than the cricketers of the previous era, but why are they troubled with injuries? This is due to the high demand for the formats.
New Zealand is one of the most dynamic teams on the field in modern times. Due to his brilliant efforts on the field, he was one step ahead of all the teams during the ICC Champions Trophy last year. However, the Blackcaps campaign this time has been hit by a number of injuries.
Lockie Ferguson’s T20 World Cup in danger due to calf injury!
New Zealand will begin preparations for the ICC T20 World Cup in India with five T20 matches to be played before the World Cup until January 31. Recently, when he announced his squad for the T20 against India, he set the return date for many senior cricketers.
Kyle Jamieson made his comeback ahead of the marquee tournament, and Matt Henry has also been named in the T20I squad as the Kiwis hope to have him back ahead of the India series. However, New Zealand’s star fast bowler Lockie Ferguson’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign has been complicated due to lack of fitness.
Lockie Ferguson was sidelined with a calf injury during an ILT20 match in Dubai last month and was subsequently ruled out for the rest of the season. The injury also hurt his BBL participation and left a sense of uncertainty looming over his availability for the ICC T20 World Cup.
New Zealand faced many injuries before the T20 World Cup
While Lockie Ferguson is considered one of the assets for New Zealand in ICC tournaments, his unavailability in the five-match series against India has also worried the New Zealand management.
Along with his unavailability, they will also have to deal with the absence of their rising fast bowler William O’Rourke, who will also miss the match with a back injury and is also uncertain for the World Cup.
With Matt Henry still recovering, O’Rourke highly uncertain, and Ferguson still working through his recovery, New Zealand’s pace attack will lack the resources that make it a reliable fast bowling unit.
New Zealand has not yet announced the squad for T20 World Cup 2026
New Zealand will reach India with a squad of about 20 players for the ODI and T20 series. After the T20I series in India ends, the ICC T20 World Cup will begin within a week, and the final squad is to be announced by New Zealand Cricket before February 1.
Kane Williamson will no longer be a part of T20 cricket for New Zealand, while Mitchell Santner will lead the side in the ICC T20 World Cup for the first time. He led the team to the finals of the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan and Dubai last year.
Some players like Tim Seifert and Finn Allen, who are not part of the India T20I squad, may come into play for the Blackcaps in the ICC T20 World Cup later on. These players are currently playing in BBL.
Also read: Bangladesh officially announces boycott of T20 World Cup 2026, refuses to travel to India due to security fears
