ICC Champions Trophy 2025: New Zealand's Ben Sears ruled out with hamstring injury; Replacement announced

Ben Sears has played two ODIs for New Zealand so far.

On Friday, February 14, the New Zealand Cricket Board (NZC) announced that Ben Sears has been ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 due to a hamstring injury.

Sears, who was part of the New Zealand’s squad in the Pakistan ODI Tri-series, felt pain in his hamstring during training on Wednesday. A subsequent scan revealed that the 27-year-old would need at least two months of rehabilitation.

Sears played both games in the ongoing Tri-series, conceding 104 runs in 16 overs without taking a wicket.

New Zealand’s Ben Sears ruled out with hamstring injury; Replacement announced

Right-arm speedster Jacob Duffy has been announced as Sears’ replacement for the ICC Champions Trophy. Duffy has so far played ten ODIs, picking up 18 wickets at an average of 26. He was part of the New Zealand squad earlier this year against Sri Lanka, where he took four wickets in two appearances in the series.

Speaking to reporters, New Zealand head coach Gary Stead emphasized that it’s always tough to miss out on a major ICC event and stated that the decision was made because Ben would have been unable to participate in the group stage matches.

Stead said, “We’re all really feeling for Ben. It’s always tough being ruled out of a major event at such a late stage, and it’s especially tough in Ben’s case given it would have been his first major ICC event.“

“The timeframes for Ben to be fit to play again meant he would likely miss the majority of the group stage, and given the short nature of the tournament, we felt it was appropriate to bring in a player who is fully fit and ready to go.“

The head coach expressed confidence in Jacob Duffy, stressing that the speedster is more than capable at the international level.

He added, “Jacob showed with his performances in the recent home series against Sri Lanka that he is more than capable at international level. He’s been part of the squad for the ODI tri-series so he’s fully acclimatised and he’s got plenty of experience in these conditions.“

New Zealand will begin their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign against Pakistan on February 19 in Karachi.

New Zealand squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025:

Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Jacob Duffy, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young.

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