Kyle Jamieson pulls out of New Zealand’s three-match T20I series against India

New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson has opted out of the upcoming T20I series against India starting on November 17 to focus on the two-match Test series. New Zealand head coach Gary Stead admitted that managing the workload of players was essential, and it was a conscious decision to rest the pacer. Like India, New Zealand players have also been playing continuously for the past six months.

New Zealand finished the 20-20 World Cup campaign as runners-up on November 14, and had only three days to prepare for the T20I series. “We decided through talking with Kane and Kyle that they won’t play in this T20 series. They’re both going to get ready for the test matches, and I think you’ll find there will be other guys involved in the test matches that won’t play the entire series either,” Stead said to New Zealand Cricket.

Neil Wagner, Tom Latham, and Ross Taylor are a few of the guys that will be coming in for Test matches. Stead felt with a tight schedule, it was essential to balance the situation and give players some breathing space. "It’s a bit of a balancing act at the moment, and with three T20 games in five days plus travel to three different cities, it’s a very, very busy time."

Meanwhile, the New Zealand coach also hinted at the possibility of Lockie Ferguson making a comeback for the T20I series from a calf tear injury during the 20-20 World Cup. The right-arm pacer returned to training and will likely play the first T20I.

“You’ll definitely see that the whole squad will get match time over here, and that’s about us managing the workload of the players, especially with the test matches coming up for us, which will be a real key priority for us as we work through the next week," Stead added.