New Zealand suffered a major setback after white-ball captain Mitchell Santner was ruled out for at least a month after a scan confirmed a grade three ACL tear in his left shoulder.
The 34-year-old suffered the injury while fielding for Mumbai Indians during their Indian Premier League clash against Chennai Super Kings.
Santner returned to New Zealand earlier this week, following specialist advice and advised to undergo a period of rest and rehabilitation.
New Zealand is scheduled to face Ireland in a one-off four-day Test on May 27, followed by a three-match World Test Championship series against England, starting on June 4 at Lord’s.
The injury has ruled Santner out of Ireland’s match and the opening Test against England, with a decision on his availability for the rest of the series to be made closer to time.
Santner’s absence will be keenly felt given his all-round value with both bat and ball.
He has been instrumental in New Zealand’s white-ball transition, leading the team to the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup earlier this year, and last year’s ICC Men’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan and Dubai.
New Zealand are currently second in the World Test Championship rankings and will be aiming to strengthen their position with a place in next year’s finals.
The Blackcaps’ next white-ball assignment is a tour of the West Indies in July, featuring both ODIs and T20Is, before returning home for a high-profile multi-format series against India starting in October.
The full squads for the Ireland and England Tests are expected to be announced in the coming days, with New Zealand now forced to make at least one change following Santner’s untimely injury.