Tickner sustained a shoulder injury.
As if New Zealand didn’t have enough crises already, Blair Tickner injury during the 2nd NZ vs WI Test has added more names to a concerning list. He becomes the third pacer, after Matt Henry and Nathan Smith, to suffer a setback midway through the ongoing West Indies rubber.
Tickner sustained a shoulder injury during the 67th over while trying to stop a boundary via a dive and fell awkwardly. It probably dislocated his shoulder, and he called for help immediately, but the initial aid wasn’t enough.
Blair Tickner injury was so severe that he had to be stretchered off and was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance for further treatment. While no official announcement has arrived yet, he might not participate in the remainder of the game, given how serious he looked initially.
Before this unfortunate setback, Tickner was the Kiwis’ best bowler on the opening day of the Test, with four big wickets in 16 overs, dismissing Brandon King, Kavem Hodge, Shai Hope, and Roston Chase. He bowled with good rhythm, extracting seam movement and generating excessive bounce, to trouble the West Indies batters and was his team’s best bowler despite not bowling much in the later phase.
Blair Tickner injury comes at the worst possible time for New Zealand, who are struggling with several fitness concerns. They are already without Henry and Smith, leaving additional responsibility on three inexperienced pacers – Jacob Duffy (3rd Test), Zakary Foulkes (3rd Test), and Michael Rae (debut).
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Their pace stocks are at an all-time low, with the likes of Will O’Rourke, Ben Sears, and Matt Fisher also unavailable for the rubber due to injuries. The situation is so dire that Glenn Phillips is their leading wicket-taker in the ongoing Test against West Indies, with 31 scalps, followed by Kane Williamson’s 30.
This is the first time since 2012 that New Zealand have had a pace attack with fewer than 50 wickets combined in a Test match. The previous occurrence was in Kingston when Tim Southee, Trent Boult, and Neil Wagner played together for the first time in the longest format.
On Day 1 of the 2nd Test, the Kiwis bundled the West Indies on 205 in the first innings before going unscathed on 24 to finish the day on a high note. If Blair Tickner injury forces him to sit out, they will play with 10 players for the remainder of the game.
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