Hamstring Injury Rules Adam Milne Ruled Out Of England ODI Series, Ben Lister Called In

The New Zealand men's cricket team has suffered a setback ahead of the second One-dayer against England here on Sunday with experienced pacer Adam Milne ruled out of the four-match series with a low-grade hamstring injury.

Milne suffered hamstring tightness at training in Cardiff before Friday's opening ODI and a subsequent scan revealed he would need a period of rehabilitation.

The 31-year-old Milne, who is also selected in the ODI squad to travel to Bangladesh, will remain with the team in England to work on his rehabilitation.

Left-arm pacer Ben Lister, who is currently in England with Kent having signed on to play the remaining games of the County Championship season, will join the squad in Southampton on Saturday as Milne's replacement.

New Zealand coach Gary Stead said having cover in the squad was important with the compact nature of the schedule.

"We have short turnarounds between these matches and want to try and look after the players as much as possible with the upcoming schedule," Stead was quoted as saying by New Zealand Cricket on its website.

"With Ben already here in England it meant we could have him join the squad at short notice without the recovery time of a bowler joining from New Zealand mid-series."

"Ben impressed us in the UAE and warm-up matches in England and will continue to learn being around some senior players in the touring group," the coach said.

The New Zealand squad on Saturday travelled by bus from Cardiff to Southampton ahead of Sunday's second ODI at the Rose Bowl.

Also Read: LIVE Score

New Zealand lead the series 1-0 after winning the first ODI at Cardiff by eight wickets with 26 balls remaining. Milne did not play the series opener.