Kyle Jamieson ruled out of England Test series due to stress reaction in lower back

New Zealand has been hit with a big blow as one of their premier pace bowlers, Kyle Jamieson has suffered a stress reaction to his lower left back and subsequently has been ruled out of the Test series. The injury took place while Jamieson was bowling on the third day of the second Test at Trent Bridge and he bowled just 16.3 overs in the first innings out of the 128.2 overs that were played by England.

Jamieson did come out to bat in the second innings for the Kiwis and he could manage just 1 off 6 deliveries. He did not bowl in the second innings, and his absence did play a big role in the visitors losing the second Test on the final day. The hosts England chased down the target of 299 in just 50 overs in the fourth innings, on the back of a brilliant 136-run knock from Jonny Bairstow.

The right-hander scored the second-fastest century by an England batter in the longest format and he pummelled the New Zealand bowlers to all parts. Skipper Ben Stokes remained unbeaten on 75 off 70 deliveries to take his side to an incredible victory on the final day and England have secured the series 2-0 as well with one more Test to go.

I know how disappointed Kyle Jamieson was to have had his involvement in the second Test curtailed: Gary Stead

New Zealand head coach Gary Stead felt that Jamieson was a huge miss in the second Test and mentioned the impact he can create with the example of the Lord’s Test. He confirmed that the New Zealand side will wait for the tall lanky pacer to recover fully and noted Jamieson would require four to six weeks of rest before beginning a rehabilitation program targeting a potential return to play in September or October.

“Kyle had played such a big role in the first Test at Lord’s and I know how disappointed he was to have had his involvement in the second Test curtailed,” Stead was quoted as saying by India Today.

“He’s obviously a huge asset for us and we’ll be making sure we are patient with his recovery to ensure he returns fully fit with plenty more important cricket still to come later this year,” he added.

Meanwhile, Blair Tickner has been named as the replacement for Jamieson. Cam Fletcher, who was in the squad earlier, had also suffered an injury while fielding in the second Test and Dane Cleaver is set to replace him in the squad.