Jacob Duffy approved as replacement for Ben Sears in New Zealand Champions Trophy squad

New Zealand's fast bowler, Ben Sears, has been ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 due to a hamstring injury. In his place, pacer Jacob Duffy has been included in the squad.

Sears felt pain in his left hamstring during the team's first training session in Karachi on Wednesday. Subsequent scans revealed a minor tear, which will require at least two weeks of rehabilitation. As a result, Sears will not be able to recover in time for New Zealand's final group match against India, leading to the decision to rule him out of the entire tournament.

Duffy, who had already been with the squad for the ongoing ODI Tri-series against Pakistan and South Africa, was swiftly added to the Champions Trophy squad due to his fitness and current form.

New Zealand's head coach, Gary Stead, expressed his disappointment, saying, "This is really disappointing news for Ben. To miss out on such a major tournament due to injury is certainly tough. Especially for Ben, as this would have been his first big ICC event."

Stead further added, "Given the tight timeline of this tournament, we wanted to bring in a player who is fully fit and ready to go."

Speaking about Duffy's inclusion, Stead said, "Jacob showed in the recent series against Sri Lanka that he has the ability to perform at the international level."