New Zealand's preparations for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 face uncertainty due to a key injury concern with their fast bowler Lockie Ferguson.
The 33-year-old pace bowler encountered a hamstring injury during an ILT20 match in the UAE on Wednesday while playing for Desert Vipers, forcing him to leave the field before completing his final delivery.
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The injury resulted in Ferguson missing the subsequent Eliminator match against the Sharjah Warriors.
"Just a little hamstring issue, unfortunate. Tough night; wish I could've bowled the last ball," Ferguson said at the post-match presentation.
New Zealand's management is currently assessing the severity of Ferguson's injury through medical scans.
"Lockie had a scan yesterday [Thursday] in the UAE," said head coach Gary Stead. "We've got the images here and [we are] waiting for our radiologist to give us a report on the extent of it. Small hamstring injury, by the look of it, so we're just waiting on a timeline of advice around that before we make a decision on whether Lockie travels here [Pakistan] or whether we do have to replace him for the Champions Trophy."
The injury raises concerns about Ferguson's availability for both the upcoming tri-series in Pakistan and the Champions Trophy.
New Zealand's Champions Trophy campaign is scheduled to begin on February 19 in Karachi, where they face hosts Pakistan in Group A.
The Black Caps will then play Bangladesh on February 26 in Rawalpindi, followed by their final group match against India on March 2 in Dubai.
