New Zealand suffered a major blow in the Wellington Test as Blair Tickner was ruled out of bowling and fielding, and is unlikely to bat, after dislocating his left shoulder on day one against West Indies.
Tickner injured himself while making a full-length dive at fine leg to stop a boundary in the second session and was taken to hospital immediately. He has rejoined the squad at the ground but remains under specialist assessment to determine his recovery timeline, New Zealand Cricket confirmed.
The setback comes at a cruel time for the fast bowler, who marked his return to Test cricket with a superb 4 for 32, leading New Zealand’s attack amid an ongoing injury crisis. His efforts included the dismissals of Brandon King, Kavem Hodge, Shai Hope, and Roston Chase before he was stretchered off to applause from the Basin Reserve crowd.
With Tickner now unavailable, New Zealand will rely heavily on Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes and debutant Michael Rae, supported by part-time options Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell. The hosts have already lost Matt Henry and Nathan Smith earlier in the series, leaving them dangerously thin on fast-bowling resources as the Test progresses.
