CSK recruit ruled out of Tests with foot injury

The all-rounder is dealing with a foot injury which needs time to recover. Fast bowler Will O'Rourke is set to join the NZ squad for the second Test against South Africa.

By Monojit Das Feb 8, 2024, 13:16 IST

Daryl Mitchell has been ruled out of 2nd Test against South Africa and T20I series against Australia?width=963&height=541&resizemode=4

Daryl Mitchell will miss the second Test against South Africa and T20I series against Australia.

CSK’s new recruit and star New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell has been ruled out of the second Test against South Africa and the upcoming T20Is series against Australia in order to allow his ongoing foot injury to heal. Mitchell is an important player for New Zealand team in all the three formats.

NZ head coach Gary coach stressed upon Mitchell’s importance in the team, calling this as the appropriate time to complete his rehab. "Daryl is a hugely important member of the squad in all three formats and ensuring he is in the best shape is vital with the period of matches to come. Based on the schedule ahead, we feel now is an appropriate time for Daryl to complete a period of rehabilitation," Stead said as quoted by NZC official website.

Will O’Rourke to replace Daryl Mitchell for 2nd Test

Canterbury fast bowler Will O’Rourke is set to replace Mitchell for the second Test in Hamilton against South Africa. O’Rourke has played 15 first-class matches and picked up 50 wickets. He has already played 3 ODIs for New Zealand picking up 5 wickets.

Daryl Mitchell will miss the second Tegel Test against South Africa and the KFC T20I series against Australia in an attempt to allow an ongoing foot injury to heal. #NZvSA https://t.co/ZzTZHqHukP
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) February 7, 2024

Mitchell scored a total of 45 runs across two innings in the first Test against South Africa. He didn’t have much role to play against a weakened South African attack as New Zealand thrashed South Africa by 281 runs. Rachin Ravindra scored 240 in the first innings while Kane Williamson had scores of 118 and 109 across the two innings.

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Daryl Mitchell has established himself as a vital cog in NZ’s batting line-up in the last few years. His ability to play spin and pace equally well makes him a dependable batter in the middle order. The 32-year old was signed by Chennai Super Kings at IPL 2024 auction for INR 14 crore. CSK is his second IPL franchise as he has been a part of Rajasthan Royals previously.