New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson faced another injury that has ruled him out of the ILT20 tournament last month. The injury has sidelined him from the ongoing BBL, and his participation in the New Zealand tour of India is also uncertain.
Modern-day players have been bothered more by injuries than their competitors. New-age cricketers have relatively higher fitness levels than cricketers from previous eras, but why are they bothered by injuries? It is due to the exceeding demand for the formats.
New Zealand are one of the most dynamic teams on the field in modern times. They had been a step ahead of all teams during the ICC Champions Trophy last year due to their magnificent efforts on the field. However, this time the Blackcaps campaign has been affected by several injury blows.
Lockie Ferguson’s T20 World Cup jeopardized by calf injury
New Zealand will begin preparations for the ICC T20 World Cup in India with the five T20I matches that are scheduled to be played ahead of the World Cup until the 31st of January. Recently, when they announced their squad for the T20s against India, they set the return date for many senior cricketers.
Kyle Jamieson made his return ahead of the marquee tournament, and Matt Henry has also been named in the T20I squad, as the Kiwis hope for his return ahead of the India series. However, star New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign has been complicated due to a lack of fitness.
Lockie Ferguson was ruled out with a calf injury during an ILT20 match in Dubai last month and was subsequently ruled out for the remainder of the season. This injury also sabotaged his BBL participation, and a sense of uncertainty loomed over his availability for the ICC T20 World Cup.
New Zealand suffer multiple injuries ahead of the T20 World Cup
While Lockie Ferguson is considered one of the assets for New Zealand going into the ICC tournament, his unavailability in the five-match series against India has also left the NZ management concerned.
Alongside his unavailability, they will also struggle with the absence of their rising fast bowler William O’Rourke, who will also miss out due to 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 recovery, New Zealand’s pace attack will lack the resources that make it a dependable unit of pace bowling.
New Zealand yet to announce squad for T20 World Cup 2026
New Zealand will arrive in India with a contingent of nearly 20 players for the ODI and T20I series. After the T20I series ends in India, the ICC T20 World Cup will begin within a week, and the final squad has to be announced before the 1st of February by New Zealand Cricket.
Kane Williamson will no longer be part of T20 cricket for New Zealand, while Mitchell Santner will be leading the team for the first time in an ICC T20 World Cup. He led them to the finals of the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan and Dubai last year in 2025.
Some players like Tim Seifert and Finn Allen, who are not part of the India T20Is, might come into play later for the Blackcaps in the ICC T20 World Cup. These players are currently playing in the BBL.
