“He is still suffering pain and is unable to bowl at his best”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

New Zealand pace bowler Adam Milne has been ruled out of the ODI series against England as he is still recovering from a heel injury.

Milne suffered the injury during the World Cup and was forced to miss the semi-final of the tournament as a result of it.

Since Milne will be sidelined for the five-match ODI series, left-arm seamer Ben Wheeler has been called up as his replacement and is therefore likely to make his international debut.

“It has been a hard time for Adam,” New Zealand head coach Mike Hesson told reporters. “He has worked really hard to get back to full fitness but, unfortunately, he is still suffering pain and is unable to bowl at his best.

“He is a young man and has a long career ahead of him, so we are focused on making sure he is 100 percent fit before he returns.”

Wheeler has already impressed during New Zealand’s ongoing tour of England as he finished with bowling figures of 5-18 in the first innings of the Black Caps’ warm-up match against Somerset.

“He showed great composure against Somerset and he has a big future,” Hesson said. “It will be good to have him in the squad to continue his development.”