New Delhi, Dec 11 (IANS) New Zealand off-spinner Eden Carson is set to undergo surgery on her right elbow on Thursday and is anticipated to need six months of rehabilitation before making a return to competitive cricket.

Given the recovery timeline, the spinner will miss the rest of the home summer as well as New Zealand’s title defence at the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

Carson suffered a partial ligament tear in her elbow during the team’s training camp in Dubai ahead of the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup and played through the injury during the tournament.

Because the injury involves her bowling arm, head coach Ben Sawyer said they decided to proceed with surgery now to safeguard her long-term career.

“We’re all really gutted for Eden. The team has a big six months ahead, and I know how difficult it was for her to make the decision to go through with the surgery now, but I fully support it. It’ll obviously be a huge loss for the team not having Eden available, especially for the T20 World Cup, where she played a big role for us last year.

“At just 24 years old, she’s still got a long career ahead, so it’s important we look forward and prioritise getting her back on the park and fully fit,” Sawyer said in a statement released by New Zealand Cricket (NZC).

Carson finished with nine wickets from six innings, at an economy rate of 6.39, during New Zealand’s T20 World Cup-winning campaign in October 2024 in Dubai.

New Zealand’s next international assignment is against Zimbabwe at home in February and March 2026, where the two sides will lock horns in three T20Is and as many ODIs.

The matches will be played at venues across Hamilton, Wellington and Dunedin.

— IANS

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