Mount Maunganui, Oct 1 (IANS) Rachin Ravindra has been ruled out of the three-match T20I series against Australia, with Jimmy Neesham replacing him in the squad, New Zealand Cricket said on Tuesday.

Ravindra collided with a boundary hoarding during a fielding drill at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Tuesday and suffered a facial laceration that required stitches.

“We’re all really disappointed for Rachin to be forced to miss the series. He sustained a major laceration to his upper lip and nose area which required specialist and intricate stitching and will take time to heal,” New Zealand coach Rob Walter said.

“Rachin is obviously an important player for us, but his health and wellbeing is our top priority, and so the decision was made to send him home to recover with an eye to being available for the England series in two weeks’ time,” he added.

This is Ravindra’s second facial injury in 2025. Earlier this year, in the lead-up to the Champions Trophy, he was struck on the forehead while attempting a catch under the floodlights during a tri-series game against South Africa in Lahore. That blow ruled him out of the rest of the tri-series as well as New Zealand’s opening Champions Trophy fixture against Pakistan.

Neesham, who has played 84 T20Is and was with the New Zealand team in Zimbabwe in July, has linked up with the squad in Tauranga.

Walter said Neesham was a proven player to be bringing into the squad. “We’re lucky to be able to call on Jimmy who brings all his experience and all-round capabilities. It’s going to be a big night at Bay Oval and I know we’re all looking forward to getting the Chappell-Hadlee underway,” he said.

New Zealand squad: Michael Bracewell (c), Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi

–IANS

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