Lockie Ferguson suffers calf injury, is ruled out of the SL ODIs as fellow pacer Adam Milne will take his place.
Lockie Ferguson will be flying back to New Zealand after picking up a calf injury in their series-levelling T20I victory over Sri Lanka in Dambulla.
The 33-year-old fast bowler will not play in the ODI portion of the tour, which starts on November 13 with the first of three games.
Ferguson, who had recently recovered from another injury (a right hamstring), played a significant role in turning around New Zealand’s fortunes. His hat-trick helped them defend a total of 108 as they overcame a 0-1 deficit to split the spoils.
He experienced some discomfort when delivering his second over of the chase on Sunday, according to a NZC release. Ferguson returned to collect the Player-of-the-Match trophy. But he was unable to continue playing in that Twenty20 International after leaving the pitch.
Based on preliminary evaluations, he has been ruled out of the remainder of the Sri Lanka tour. He will have scans when he gets to New Zealand to determine the full extent of the damage. As Ferguson’s successor, Adam Milne has been called up to the team and is scheduled to arrive in Dambulla on Tuesday.
“We’re gutted for Lockie,” New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said. “He showed in the space of just two overs what an asset he is with the ball. And he’s also brought a lot of leadership to this group. So he’ll be a big miss heading into an important ODI series for us. To be ruled out so early in a tour is always tough to take. But we’re hopeful his recovery will be short and he’ll be back out on the field in no time.
“Adam is a like-for-like replacement. He brings genuine pace and plenty of international experience. So we’re looking forward to welcoming him into the group.”