New Zealand all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme has been ruled out of the remainder of the ongoing Test series against England due to a heel injury.
During the recently-concluded first Test at Lord’s Cricket Ground, De Grandhomme pulled up short in his run-up in his fourth over on Day 3 of the match and immediately left the field. Further scans revealed a tear to his right plantar fascia – the ligament which connects the heel bone to the toes.
Black Caps coach Gary Stead confirmed that De Grandhomme has been ruled out of the red-ball fixtures against the English side as he would need 10 to 12 weeks to recover. This also means that the Harare-born cricketer might miss New Zealand’s upcoming white-ball tours to Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands.
The visitors have included Michael Bracewell as De Grandhomme’s replacement, who was initially brought in as cover for Henry Nicholls. Notably, Bracewell was added in the squad as a cover for the injured Henry Nicholls, who could return from his calf injury in the second Test at Trent Bridge, starting this Friday.
“It’s a real shame for Colin to suffer this injury so early in the series,” said Stead in a statement.
“He’s a massive part of our Test side, and we’ll certainly miss him. It’s great to be able to call on someone like Michael, who’s been with the squad for the past month and is match ready,” he added.
The three-match series opener was won by England, thanks to former captain Joe Root‘s scintillating batting display. Root smashed his 26th century in the longest format and also went past 10,000 Test runs as the hosts registered a memorable victory by five wickets.
