Kyle Jamieson ruled out of remainder of summer after back stress fracture

The New Zealand cricket team has suffered a massive blow ahead of their upcoming Test series against Australia as Kyle Jamieson has been ruled out of the same. The right-arm seamer sustained a stress fracture on his back, ruling him out of the remainder of the summer.

Jamieson underwent scans following the second Test against South Africa in Hamilton and they showed a fracture at the same spot on which he had an operation last year. While the 29-year-old will not undergo surgery again, he must rest and rehabilitate to heal from the injury.

Addressing the injury, Jamieson thanked his close ones for their support and is hopeful of recovering soon. As quoted by the official ICC website, he said:

"The last few days have been some of my most challenging but I am hugely grateful for the support I’ve received from my partner, family, teammates, support staff and medical professionals. I know injuries are part of life as a cricketer and at my age I am hopeful I still have many more playing days ahead of me.”

The right-arm seamer played in the first Test against South Africa, taking six wickets as New Zealand won comprehensively.

"His resolve is undiminished" - Gary Stead on Kyle Jamieson

Head coach Gary Stead admitted that it was tough on Jamieson's part, but pledged full support to him throughout. Stead stated:

"We’ve all seen how much work Kyle has put into returning to international cricket and for him to have a setback like this is tough news to get. On the positive side we know how determined he is to keep playing cricket for New Zealand and we will be fully behind him on the rehabilitation road ahead. His resolve is undiminished."

The Test series against Australia begins on February 29th; the two sides will also play three T20Is before that.