New Zealand fast bowler Kyle Jamieson is set to undergo a surgery for his injured back that will sideline him for up to four months. Jamieson, who was named in the New Zealand squad for the ongoing home series against England, was ruled out with a suspected stress fracture to the back.
“Kyle has seen a back surgeon and is getting surgery later in the week,” New Zealand head coach Gary Stead confirmed. “It’s been a challenging and difficult time for Kyle and a big loss for us. He has been fantastic when he has been around all of our sides when he has been part of them.
The setback for the tall pacer is a re-occurrence of an old back injury that he suffered last year on the tour of England. He made a comeback from it in the domestic circuit and even played a warm-up fixture against England in Hamilton in the lead-up to the current Test series, but was laid low after scans revealed the injury.
Surgery and the subsequent rehabilitation is set to keep Jamieson out of New Zealand’s home series against Sri Lanka in March-April, the away tour to Pakistan in April-May as well as the Indian Premier League 2023 season, where he was snapped up by Chennai Super Kings for INR 1 Crore. Jamieson could target New Zealand’s tour of England in August for a potential return.
“We just wish him well, and we will know more in about three to four months about what that end prognosis looks like for him. Surgery provides a quicker return to play and that’s the encouraging thing for him. We want to give him the best chance of recovery because we know what a star he has been for us,” Stead said.
New Zealand, who went into the first Test against England with depleted bowling resources and suffered a heavy defeat, will welcome back Matt Henry to the mix ahead of the second fixture, starting on February 24 at the Basin Reserve in Wellington.
