New Zealand head coach Gary Stead has confirmed that star batter Rachin Ravindra hasn’t fully recovered following a head injury sustained during the first match against Pakistan in the ongoing Tri-Nation Series as he had, apparently, “had a headache for a few days” from the moment he took a nasty blow to his forehead. Ravindra was subsequently forced to leave the match during the ODI tri-series last week after being struck in the forehead while attempting to catch the ball in the 38th over against Pakistan.
As a result, the 25-year-old missed New Zealand’s win over South Africa, which had earned them a place in the final in Karachi on Friday. Stead said that even though he was back in the nets on Thursday night, he was still not quite ready for a match.
“It’s a pleasing thing-the scaffolding’s coming along nicely. Currently, we’re following concussion assessment protocols,” Stead said in a video shared by BlackCaps on social media.
“He’s had a headache for a few days but that’s subsiding, which is really good news. He faced a few balls tonight for the first time, which is a positive sign, but there are still a few more steps for him to go through before he can be considered fit for play,” he added.
Stead has provided an update on veteran pacer Lockie Ferguson, who suffered a hamstring injury during the ILT20. “Lockie’s had a couple of bowls since he’s been here. He went a little harder again tonight,” Stead said.
“Happy to see where he is tracking, we will certainly be looking to have him play in one of the next two games. If there are niggles, we will probably adopt a conservative approach; the Champions Trophy is just around the corner.”New Zealand will play a warm-up match against Afghanistan in Karachi on Sunday ahead of their Champions Trophy campaign, starting against the hosts Pakistan on February 19.
