Published: Oct 10, 2022, 07:56 AM (IST)
Edited: Oct 10, 2022, 07:56 AM (IST)
New Delhi: New Zealand have confirmed key batter Daryl Mitchell will this week travel to Australia with the rest of his team-mates ahead of the start of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Mitchell fractured a finger on his right hand when batting in the nets ahead of the Kiwis’ tri-series at home against Pakistan and Bangladesh and his availability for the upcoming event in Australia had been in doubt.
Head coach Gary Stead admitted New Zealand’s opening match at the T20 World Cup against Australia in Sydney on October 22 may come too soon for Mitchell, but they hope to have the 31-year-old back for the latter part of the tournament.
“The good news is we have made a decision about Daryl Mitchell and he will tour with us to the World Cup,” Stead said on Monday.
“When we thought about the value Daryl brings to the team and the likely time frame…we are still hopeful he’ll be right for the first game but probably more realistically the second game.
“There will still be four pool games to go and then hopefully semi-final and final after that. Daryl has showed the value to this team and we feel it was the right decision to make.”
Mitchell’s form with the bat was a major reason why New Zealand made it all the way to the T20 World Cup final last year in Dubai, with the right-hander hitting an impressive 208 runs from seven innings at the tournament with a strike rate greater than 140.
His unbeaten 72 from just 47 deliveries in the semi-final against England in Abu Dhabi was the highlight as the knock catapulted New Zealand into the final against their trans-Tasman rival.
Following that re-match of the final to open their campaign against Australia in Sydney, New Zealand’s second game of the tournament comes against Afghanistan in Melbourne on October 26.
The Kiwis are also monitoring a abdominal injury to key pacer Lockie Ferguson and are still hopeful the right-armer will be fit for the start of the tournament.
(ICC)
