Adam Milne ruled out of ODI series against England due to injury; Ben Lister announced as replacement
New Zealand pacer Adam Milne has been ruled out of the remaining three ODIs as a result of a low grade hamstring injury. The right-arm bowler reported of tightness during training ahead of the opening ODI of the series in Cardiff, and was not part of the playing XI.
The results of a subsequent scan has revealed that Milne will have to undergo rehabilitation before he can bowl again. He is set to remain with the squad in England to recover from his injury, much like how Kane Williamson is involved currently.
It is to be noted that Milne is part of the ODI squad led by Lockie Ferguson for the upcoming ODI series against Bangladesh. Additionally, New Zealand are also set to announce their 2023 ODI World Cup squad soon.
The team are battling a few injury issues at the moment, with Kane Williamson and Michael Bracewell having sustained long-term injuries a while back.
In Milne's absence, the Blackcaps went with a pace attack of Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Kyle Jamieson and Matt Henry and ended up conceding 291 runs in the first innings.
Centuries from Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell helped the visitors chase down the total in 45.4 overs to earn an eight-wicket win, and claim a lead in the series.
Left-arm pacer Ben Lister has been selected by New Zealand as a replacement. He was representing Kent in the ongoing County Championship season and will join the New Zealand squad in Southampton, the site for the second ODI.
Lister has played 10 T20Is and one ODI in his career so far. The 27-year-old made his ODI debut during the tour of Pakistan earlier this year, and he was recently seen in New Zealand's T20I series against the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
"Ben impressed us in the UAE and warm-up matches in England" - Gary Stead on Adam Milne's replacement
New Zealand's tour of England comprises of four T20Is and four ODIs, and they were off to a poor start after going 0-2 down in the T20I series. However, they made a strong comeback to level the series, and now have kickstarted the ODI series with a win to keep the momentum going.
New Zealand head coach Gary Stead spoke about the forced change in personnel midway through the series. He said
"We have short turnarounds between these matches and want to try and look after the players as much as possible with the upcoming schedule. With Ben already here in England it meant we could have him join the squad at short notice without the recovery time of a bowler joining from New Zealand mid-series." Ben impressed us in the UAE and warm-up matches in England and will continue to learn being around some senior players in the touring group."
The second ODI between England and New Zealand has been scheduled for Sunday, September 10 at the Rose Bowl in Southampton.