New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson is ruled out for almost one year due to a fresh new stress fracture. Scans following the opening Test against South Africa showed a new injury in the same location as the one on which Jamieson was operated last year.
The fresh injury now means that he will not undergo surgery but instead will opt to rehab and rest to give the injury the best chance to heal and recover. Jamieson said while the news had been tough to take, his determination to return to play hadn’t wavered.
Last Few Days Have Been Challenging: Kyle Jamieson
“The last few days have been some of my most challenging but I am hugely grateful for the support I’ve received from my partner, family, teammates, support staff and medical professionals. I know injuries are part of life as a cricketer and at my age I am hopeful I still have many more playing days ahead of me” Jamieson said in a statement.
Jamieson has been struggling with back issues for the last two years. He first got injured in June 2022 but then came back at home in a series against England. However, a recurrence of the injury meant that he had to undergo surgery that kept him out of the game for months. The Kiwi pacer also missed the ICC 2023 World Cup in India due to a back injury as well. Despite returning fit, the fresh injury to Kyle Jamieson might not seem him back in the field in 2024.
“We’ve all seen how much work Kyle has put into returning to international cricket and for him to have a setback like this is tough news to get. On the positive side we know how determined he is to keep playing cricket for New Zealand and we will be fully behind him on the rehabilitation road ahead. His resolve is undiminished,” New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said.
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New Zealand won the Test series 2-0 against England and reclaimed the number one spot in the WTC 2023-25 points table. The Kiwis now have won three out of the four Test matches they have played in the new WTC cycle. They lead the table with a PCT of 75.0. Australia are placed second with 55.0, while India is third with 52.77 PCT.
The Kiwis won the first Test by 281 runs and the second test by seven wickets. Kane Williamson batted superbly in the series ending with 403 runs in the two matches at an average of 134.33. Rachin Ravindra scored 301 runs in the series followed by South Africa’s David Bedingham scoring 268 runs in two matches.
Tim Southee the New Zealand skipper was a happy captain after his bowlers were able to take 20 wickets on a good batting wicket in the two Test matches. Williamson was chosen as the Player of the series after he scored a mountain of runs. This was also the first time that New Zealand won a Test series against South Africa. This was also just the seventh Test win for the Kiwis against the Proteas in 49 Test matches.
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