New Zealand suffer double injury blow ahead of T20I series against Australia

The New Zealand cricket team has sustained a double injury blow as Matt Henry and Tim Seifert will miss the upcoming upcoming T20I series against Australia. Ben Sears and Will Young will join the squad in their absence.

Henry, the right-arm seamer, complained of hip soreness after the 2nd Test against South Africa in Hamilton and will require some time to be fit for the red-ball matches against Australia. Seifert, meanwhile, sustained a torn abductor while training for the Northern Districts earlier in the week.

Head coach Gary Stead addressed the injuries in the Black Caps' squad, stating they are optimistic about Henry's availability for the Test series. As quoted by the official website, Stead claimed:

"Matt’s understandably disappointed, but a break for the T20Is will ensure he’s fully fit and ready to go for the Tests against Australia later this month. We’re gutted for Tim who has been a strong performer over recent series and is an important part of the squad. We’re hopeful he’ll make a swift recovery ahead of an important period of T20I cricket for the team."

New Zealand squad: Mitchell Santner (c), Finn Allen, Trent Boult (2nd and 3rd T20I), Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Adam Milne, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee (1st T20), Will Young.

Gary Stead confident Ben Sears and Will Young can make impact for New Zealand:

Gary Stead. (Image Credits: Getty)

Stead further suggested that Sears and Young can influence any game New Zealand's way based on their domestic T20 performances. He added:

Ben showed in his recent performances against Pakistan that he is a talented T20 bowler capable of influencing games of cricket for New Zealand. Will has been a regular in the environment across formats for some time now and his recent performances for the Central Stags in the Super Smash show he his more than capable to contribute at this level."

The series opener is scheduled on February 21 in Wellington.