Mitchell McClenaghan out of ODI series against India due to injury

McClenaghan during the ICC World Cup last year.

New Zealand pacer Mitchell McClenaghan has been ruled out of the five-match ODI series to be held against India in October due a pelvis injury. 

The injury has dealt a major blow to the Black Caps, who now find themselves without two frontline pacers, with Adam Milne also likely to miss out with an elbow injury. Yet, with the kind of depth that they have in their bowling department, they still have ample stock in the likes of Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Matt Henry. James Neesham, who was recalled to the Test squad, is another pacer at the selectors’ disposal.

The 30-year old McClenaghan was last seen representing Middlesex in the NatWest T20 blast two months ago, and sustained a stress fracture to his pelvis during his stint there, forcing him to miss the series against Zimbabwe and South Africa. He was initially expected to recover in time for the ODI series against India, but the recuperation is set to take longer.

Considering McClenaghan’s unavailability, the selectors are expected to include Doug Bracewell for the ODIs as well. The 25-year old Bracewell has been a regular in the Test squad. They also have the option of including Corey Anderson, the left-arm all-rounder who is himself looking for a comeback post injury.

McClenaghan last played an ODI for the Kiwis in January this year, suffering a freak fracture on his left eye socket off an Anwar Ali bouncer. He has played 48 ODIs since making his debut against South Africa in early 2013. He was also part of the Mumbai Indians in this edition of the IPL, picking up 17 wickets from 14 matches.

The one-day series starts on October 16, with the first game to be held at the HPCA stadium, Dharamsala. The limited overs series will be played after the three-Test series that begins on September 22.