Jamieson will miss a year due to a recurrent stress fracture in his back; Boult back for the T20

Following the opening Test match against South Africa, the fast bowler experienced discomfort, and scans revealed a fresh ailment.
Fast bowler Kyle Jamieson of New Zealand will be out for up to a year due to a second stress fracture to his back.

After taking six wickets in the first Test against South Africa, Jamieson experienced soreness. He was unable to play in the second Test in Hamilton, and scans later identified the problem.

Even though it’s a fresh fracture, the most recent injury is in the same back region as the one he had surgery on earlier this year. This time, he is not going to have an operation.

“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, team-mates, support staff and medical professionals,” Jamieson said in a press release. “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.”

Jamieson stated during a later press conference that the healing process was both mentally and physically taxing.

“I’ve got a bit of a roadmap as to how to manage it,” he stated. “The physical side is the easy part; I know there are some obstacles ahead of me, most likely more psychological and emotional in nature. You simply recuperate and rebuild. In a way, it operates on autopilot.

Months on end, halfway through, a good amount of time has passed, and a good amount of time remains—it’s more about the mental obstacles. It’s difficult because you want to avoid experiencing it once more. You want that each time would be the last, but since I’m 6’8″ and trying to bowl quickly, you understand that it’s a necessary part of the experience.”

Jamieson said that his red-ball cricket preparation may need to be reviewed after he recovers from this most recent setback.

“There’s a couple of patterns over the last couple of years, which you have to have these setbacks to notice them as patterns around the way you build-up for red-ball cricket,” he stated. “My back has been rather good for the ten years that I have played professionally. History indicates that there’s still a lot of cricket to be played if you get that process properly. It gives me a great deal of hope. I take hope from the fact that there have never been any problems with my recovery in the past—it’s not like I heal slowly or never heal at all.”

“We’ve all seen how much work Kyle has put into returning to international cricket, so for him to have a setback like this is tough news to receive,” said New Zealand head coach Gary Stead.

Positively, we will support him wholeheartedly during his rehabilitation process because we are aware of his strong desire to continue representing New Zealand in cricket. His determination has not wavered.”

On Monday, the New Zealand team for the first Test matchup with Australia will be revealed. On his debut against South Africa, Will O’Rourke grabbed nine wickets after joining Neil Wagner in the attack.

Trent Boult is back for the T20

As New Zealand gets ready for the T20 World Cup, Trent Boult is back in the team. The three-match T20I series against Australia starts on February 21 in Wellington.

But the left-arm seamer has only been selected for the T20Is’ second and third games. In the UAE’s ILT20 competition, he is presently playing for MI Emirates, a team that has advanced to the knockout stages. Boult will only have a six-day rest if MI Emirates advance to the final on Saturday before facing New Zealand in the second Twenty20 International in Auckland.

Since New Zealand’s defeat by India in the 2023 ODI World Cup semi-final in Mumbai, Boult has not appeared for the Kiwis. Before joining MI Emirates, he then joined the Deccan Gladiators of the Abu Dhabi T10 league. This will be his first Twenty20 International appearance since November 2022, when New Zealand lost to Pakistan in the semi-final of the Twenty20 World Cup.

An important boost to a New Zealand team that will be without regular captain Kane Williamson (on paternity leave) and premier all-rounder Daryl Mitchell (rehabilitating a long-term foot injury) is Boult’s comeback. Mitchell is giving himself the best opportunity of recuperating for the two-match Test series against Australia, which starts on February 29, also in Wellington. Mitchell has been carrying the ailment for about six to seven months.