New Zealand have sustained a significant blow ahead of the fourth T20I against India as pacers Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry have been ruled out of the remainder of the series due to injuries.
Ferguson sustained a calf injury during the second T20I against India in Christchurch, whereas Henry suffered a quadriceps injury during the same match.
While will be sidelined for at least a week, will need at least two weeks to complete his recovery.
“We’re gutted for Lockie and Matt,” head coach Rob Walter said in a press release. “Injuries are part and parcel of international cricket, but it doesn’t make it any easier when you have to miss games,” he added.
Walter hoped that the duo would be fit in time for the five-match ODI series against India that begins on 4 November. “Fortunately for Matt, he was already going to sit out the rest of the T20Is with an eye to his big summer schedule, and we’re hopeful he’ll still play a key role in the ODIs. I know Lockie was fizzing to play in front of a sell-out home crowd at Eden Park tomorrow, but he’s determined to be back for the ODIs,” Walter added.
New Zealand will be playing for pride in the last two T20Is against after already having conceded the series. The Men in Blue began with a four-wicket win in the first T20I in Christchurch, where they chased down a total of 226 in 19.4 overs.
The Shreyas Iyer-led side followed that up with another four-wicket win in the second T20I in Christchurch. India were in a spot of bother at 70/5 at one stage during their chase of 181, but Tilak Varma (51*), Naman Dhir (31) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (26*) helped the visitors turn things around and clinch a remarkable win.
In the third T20I, the Men in Blue chased down a target of 199 in just 13.2 overs, with openers Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (45) and Abhishek Sharma (113) having forged a 133-run stand in just 43 deliveries.
The five-match T20I and ODI series will be followed by a two-match Test series, which will count toward the 2025-27 World Test Championship () standings. New Zealand are in second place in the WTC standings with a points percentage (PCT) of 72.22, whereas India are in fifth place with a PCT of 51.52.
