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Pace bowlers Kyle Jamieson and Matt Henry have been ruled out of New Zealand’s first Test against England on Thursday.
Jamieson suffered a suspected spinal fracture, the same injury that has plagued him for the past eight months.
Henry, meanwhile, remains in Christchurch awaiting the birth of his first child and has yet to travel to Mt Maunganui.
The Black Caps, who have been without leading seamer Trent Boult due to franchise commitments, have called up the uncapped pair of Jacob Duffy and Scott Kuggeleijn as replacements.
Jacob Duffy could make his Test debut, having played in the T20 series against India last month
Head coach Gary Stead confirmed Jamieson’s latest setback, which came to light after he took part in the warm-up game last week against England in Hamilton.
“It’s really gutting for Kyle that this happened after he has put so much hard to get himself back in the park,” said Stead. “Since the injury in June, we have always taken a cautious approach to managing his return with regular monitoring by the medical staff which includes scans.
“While Kyle doesn’t feel any pain, the evidence is pretty clear that he has a stress fracture and so he will go back to Christchurch today and have a CT scan on Friday before deciding on the next steps.”
Tom Blundell, who recently welcomed his second child, will link up with the side on Tuesday, with Henry Nicholls also set to arrive after the original flight from Christchurch on Saturday was canceled due to Cyclone Gabrielle.
Batter Henry Nicholls is one of the players who has yet to make the trip
Duffy (Otago Volts) and Kuggeleijn (Northern District) will also arrive at Mt Maunganui on Tuesday evening, with Duffy part of the past two Black Caps Test tours to England and the second-highest wicket-taker at the halfway stage of the Plunket Shield.
Despite the strong wind and rain both teams were able to organize a full net session on the grass thanks to the venue’s marquee, but with the cyclone expected to intensify it is not clear whether the facilities will remain usable.
The open day-night test starts on Thursday at 14:00 local time (1:00 GMT). Henry is expected to be available for the second Test in Wellington, which starts on February 24.
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