Daryl Mitchell of New Zealand has been ruled out of the current home tri-series against Pakistan and Bangladesh due to a fractured finger, and his participation in the T20 World Cup may also be in doubt.
Before Saturday’s opening tri-series match between New Zealand and Pakistan in Christchurch, Mitchell was hitting the ball in the nets when his right little finger was struck and fractured.
Mitchell’s hand will be in a cast for at least two weeks, therefore according to New Zealand coach Gary Stead, they will postpone deciding whether to let the all-rounder compete in the T20 World Cup. On October 15, New Zealand is expected to depart for Australia.
Coach Gary Stead was quoted, “It’s a real shame for Daryl to suffer this injury on the eve of an exciting period of cricket for the side. Daryl’s become a really important player to our T20 unit and we’re certainly going to miss his all-around skills and versatility in the tri-series. With our first game of the World Cup in just over two weeks, we need to take some to consider Daryl’s recovery timeline and his potential involvement in the tournament.”
Mitchell gained fame when New Zealand defeated England in the 2021 T20 World Cup semifinals thanks to his unbeaten 72. He has since established himself as a vital member of the New Zealand squad across all formats.
This summer’s Test series in England saw him score the most runs with 538 runs and three centuries in six innings. Additionally, since the 2021 World Cup, Mitchell has scored 301 runs in 13 innings of T20 international play at a strike rate of 144.71.
Also Read : Big Blow For SA, Star All-Rounder Ruled Out Of T20 World Cup 2022
Group 1 of the Super 12 stage has New Zealand, Australia, England, Afghanistan, and two first-round qualifiers. On October 22, they take on Australia at the SCG to begin the Super 12 stage.
