7 August 2025,
Thursday
7 August 2025,
Thursday
Will O'Rourke Ruled Out: The second and final Test of the ongoing series between New Zealand and Zimbabwe is scheduled to be played in Bulawayo from August 7. New Zealand fast bowler Will O'Rourke has been ruled out of this Test due to a back injury.
New Zealand won the first Test by 9 wickets. Will O'Rourke was a part of this match and took 3 wickets for 28 runs in 10 overs in the second innings. During this match, he experienced stiffness in his back.
The New Zealand Cricket Board stated that Will O'Rourke has been recalled home for examination. Left-arm fast bowler Ben Lister, who was called up as additional fast bowling cover, will remain with the team for this series and could make his debut in the second and final Test match of the series starting Thursday.
The New Zealand team has been battling injuries during this series. Prior to Will O'Rourke, all-rounder Nathan Smith suffered an injury while batting on the second day of the first Test match in Bulawayo. A subsequent MRI confirmed a stomach strain, which will take approximately two to four weeks to recover from.
Before the Zimbabwe tour, all-rounder Glenn Phillips withdrew from the tour after injuring his right groin during the Major League Cricket (MLC) final. Bracewell, who was not included in the original squad due to his commitments with The Hundred alongside the two-Test series in Bulawayo, had replaced Phillips in the team.
Earlier, Test captain Tom Latham was ruled out of the first Test match due to a shoulder injury. His participation in the second Test is currently unclear. Mitchell Santner captained in the first Test. He became New Zealand's 32nd men's Test captain.
New Zealand Team: Mitchell Santner (Captain), Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Matthew Fisher, Zaccaria Fouls, Matt Henry, Ben Lister, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Rachin Ravindra, Will Young
