Kyle Jamieson, a fast bowler from New Zealand, is set to have back surgery this week and will be out for three to two months, according to head coach Gary Stead.
Jamieson will miss the upcoming Indian Premier League 2023 season, which runs from March 31 to May 28, as a result of surgery and subsequent rehabilitation. He was signed by Chennai Super Kings for INR 1 crore.
Jamieson's suspected back stress fracture is a recurrence of the injury that forced him to miss England's June Test tour. The Kiwi paceman was on a comeback trail, having played on the domestic circuit as well as in a New Zealand XI warm-up match against England in Hamilton.
He has been named to New Zealand's squad for the current home series against England. However, a possible recurrence of the injury forced him to withdraw from the series.
"Kyle has seen a back surgeon and will have surgery later this week," confirmed Stead. "It's been a challenging and difficult time for Kyle, as well as a significant loss for us. He's been wonderful when he's been by all of our sides when he's been a part of them.
"We just wish him well, and we will know more in about three to four months about what that end prognosis looks like for him. The fact that surgery allows him to return to play sooner is encouraging. We want to give him the best chance of recovery possible because we know how important he has been to us," Stead said.
New Zealand suffered a heavy defeat in the first Test against England despite the absence of Matt Henry and Jamieson.
Henry, who missed the first Test at Bay Oval due to the birth of his second child, will return ahead of the second Test, which begins here on February 24.