Pakistan vs New Zealand: Martin Guptill ruled out of the tour

New Zealand opening batsman Martin Guptill will have to miss the upcoming tour against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates. He suffered a left calf injury during his preparation for a Plunket Shield game with Auckland and will be out for close to six weeks for rehabilitation. The Blackcaps’ experienced opening batsman will hence be left out of the squad for the ODI and T20I series against the Men in Green.

Guptill a senior member of the side will especially be missed for the quick starts he normally provides for his side. Most recently, he scored a 49-ball hundred against arch-rivals Australia in a T20I in February. The fierce opener also holds the record for being the only Blackcaps cricketer to score a T20I century.

No Mitchell Santner either

The UAE tour and the series against Pakistan will be new coach Gary Stead’s first stint with the team since he took over the top job. Stead will also be without the services of Mitchell Santner who has to give this series a miss due to a knee injury. Uncapped left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel and leg-spinner Ish Sodhi are expected to manage the spin department in Santner’s absence.

Meanwhile, Gavin Larsen, New Zealand‘s selector, said the team would now look at alternative options to replace Guptill in the Blackcaps side. “Unfortunately for Martin, it will take him some time to get over this injury and with a long summer ahead, we need to make sure we minimise the risk of him repeating it. Gary Stead and I will work through the possible replacement options. We now have three spots to fill in the T20 and one-day squads,” he said.

The Blackcaps face Pakistan in the first of three T20 Internationals on October 31, with three ODIs and the same number of Tests to follow.

[interaction id=”5bc659b9c17e5d7a962b469c”]

Get the latest Cricket News and updates from Pakistan vs New Zealand series, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.