Dubai: Lockie Ferguson, the New Zealand tearaway fast bowler, has been ruled out of the ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE with a calf tear. Adam Milne, who was a part of the squad among the reserves, will now take his place.
Ferguson felt a tightness in his right calf following training on Tuesday and a subsequent MRI scan on game-day against Pakistan revealed a grade two tear which would require three to four weeks recovery.
Coach Gary Stead said they had no option but to rule Ferguson out of the tournament. “It’s a real shame for Lockie to have this happen on the eve of the tournament and the entire team is really feeling for him right now,” Stead told New Zealand Cricket.
“He’s a massive part of our T20 side and has been in such good form - so to lose him at this time is a blow. However, we are fortunate to have a like-for-like replacement in the form of Adam Milne who has been with the squad training for the past two weeks.”
The event technical committee approved Milne as a replacement for Ferguson late in the evening. Milne, who has played 40 ODIs and 23 T20Is, was a reserve as per the allowance for teams to travel with extra players in view of COVID-19 quarantine requirements.
The replacement of a player requires the approval of the Event Technical Committee before the replacement player can be officially added to the squad.
