Black Caps fast bowler Blair Tickner is set to miss January’s white-ball tour of India due to injury.
The paceman dislocated his shoulder while diving for a catch on the boundary on day one of the second test against the West Indies at the Basin Reserve, and took no furtherpart in the match.
It is just the latest blow to the Black Caps’ fast bowling stocks, with Matt Henry out with a calf injury and Nathan Smith dealing with a side complaint.
They have also been without Will O’Rourke and Kyle Jamieson, plus veteran spinner Mitch Santner.
Spinner Ajaz Patel also joins the side in place of Tickner for his first test match on home soil since February 2020.
Tickner will be out for the next six to 12 weeks, with New Zealand’s upcoming trip to India for five One-Day Internationals and three Twenty 20 Internationals starting on January 11.
A six-week recovery timeframe would have him fit by January 21.
But Tickner told the Herald he is hoping to recover in five weeks.
“I’m already back in the gym, doing my rehab. I feel like I’m playing good cricket, so I want to get back out there, but I obviously have to be safe. A lot of cricket to come.”
“I had four out of six [wickets] and I was looking for more, but it sort of happened in a split second. I just dived normally, like I’ve dived my whole life, and just hit the ground a little bit differently. It popped out and wasn’t a great experience, but luckily, there’s not too much damage on the way out.
“So, [the shoulder is] back in place and back doing rehab and back doing some conditioning sessions. So, no, life could be worse.”
Tickner – who is involved with a new programme called “Coach Squad”, helping young cricketers with their bowling technique – wants to get back on the domestic scene for Central Districts as soon as possible, with the T20 Super Smash competition starting on Boxing Day.
“Super Smash is on during the holiday period, and then there’s also the Indian tour, but I don’t think I’ll be available for that due to this. So getting back diving, I’ll be able to get back bowling and getting into it after about three or four weeks, but it’s just about that confidence of fielding again.”
New Zealand have a 1-0 series lead against the West Indies after winning the second test in Wellington convincingly, chasing 56 in the fourth innings for a nine-wicket victory.
Nathan Limm has been a journalist with Newstalk ZB and the NZ Herald since 2020. He covered the Netball World Cup in Cape Town in 2023, hosts The Big League Podcast and commentates rugby and netball for Gold Sport.
