Keene, Lister, Sheat ruled out of NZ A’s final red-ball game against India A

Lincoln: New Zealand A will be without three frontline pacers in Simon Keene, Ben Lister and Fraser Sheat for the third and final red-ball match against India A, as the trio have been ruled out due to their respective injuries.

The final match starts on Saturday at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln University, after the first two games ended in draws. In a statement on Friday, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said Keene has a grade two tear in his left hamstring, while Sheat hurt his left side during the earlier fixtures against the visitors.

The two are expected to be back in action for their domestic sides in three to four weeks. Meanwhile, Lister has been following a return-to-play programme after straining his right side during a training session with Auckland, and has not recovered in time for the series finale.

As a result, Central Stags pacer Brett Randell and Zak Gibson of the Northern Districts have been retained in the squad, while Otago Volts seamer Danru Ferns has been called up as well. Tim Robinson will also stay on with the A side, as Henry Nicholls has moved to the main ODI squad.

Gavin Larsen, the former Black Caps player currently with the A team, said he felt sad for the injured pacers. “It’s always disappointing to see any player out injured, but unfortunately it’s part and parcel of any sport.

“Simon and Fraser were impressive with the ball against a very good Indian side with a Test quality batting lineup. Ben worked hard to be available for this third match but unfortunately requires more time. We hope they all recover well and are back on the park soon.”

Larsen added that the A series has been a valuable one for the hosts, as it pushed the players hard. “We’ve seen several stand-out performances across the matches to date, which is encouraging. The two matches to date have been great games of cricket that have truly tested our players against extremely strong opposition.

“It’s a reminder how valuable the A programme is in terms of preparing players for international cricket and offering them regular playing opportunities at a level above domestic cricket.” India A, meanwhile, are expected to draft in Test series-bound players Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Prasidh Krishna and give them some valuable game time.

New Zealand A squad for third match: Adi Ashok, Matt Boyle, Max Chu (wk), Danru Ferns, Dean Foxcroft, Zak Gibson, Curtis Heaphy, Rhys Mariu, Jarrod McKay, Cam Paul, Dale Phillips, Brett Randell, and Tim Robinson.

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