Ben Sears, a fast bowler from New Zealand, will play in Melbourne’s Victoria Premier cricket league as he recovers from a hamstring injury.
In the hopes of being available for the commencement of the Super Smash tournament with Wellington in late December, he will play six games for Melbourne University Cricket Club, including five Twenty20 matches and a 50-over one-dayer. Sears will be included in New Zealand’s plans for the February T20 World Cup if he is well.
After missing the Champions Trophy in February due to a hamstring injury, Sears, 27, has been out since the T20I series against Australia in early October.
Because there isn’t much short-form cricket being played in New Zealand right now with the Plunket Shield, it has been decided to send him to Melbourne.
“Ben has missed a large portion of cricket in two out of the last three summers, so it was important for him to get as much cricket as possible on grass wickets leading into his Super Smash return,” Rob Walter, the New Zealand coach, said.
“He plays a significant role in our future ambitions, and we want to make sure Ben has the safest and most suitable return to play strategy in place because we have a significant T20 cricket season ahead of us. He’s been making good progress, and we’re excited to see how he does in Melbourne.”
Sears, who has participated in 22 Twenty20 Internationals, four One-Day Internationals, and one Test, is among several quicks from New Zealand who have been sidelined lately. Adam Milne has an ankle injury, Lockie Ferguson has a hamstring issue, and Will O’Rourke is still recovering from a back stress fracture. Meanwhile, Kyle Jamieson’s recovery from a back ailment is being closely monitored.
Blair Tickner, Zak Foulkes, and Jacon Duffy have all impressed in recent white-ball series against England and the West Indies, demonstrating their depth.
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