Martin Guptill Ruled Out Of Pakistan vs New Zealand Series Due To Injury

New Zealand's limited overs opening batsman Martin Guptill will miss the upcoming series against Pakistan after straining his calf during a Plunket Shield game with Auckland, officials said on Friday. Selector Gavin Larsen said Guptill had no choice but to withdraw from the one-day international and Twenty20 squads to face Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates. "Unfortunately for Martin it will take him some time to get over this injury and, with a long summer ahead, we need to make sure we minimise the risk of him repeating it," he said.

"Gary Stead and I will work through the possible replacement options. We now have three spots to fill in the T20 and one-day squads."

Larsen said selectors had not yet decided on a replacement.

Guptill, 32, is a mainstay of New Zealand's limited overs line-up, averaging 42.99 runs in ODIs and 34.40 in T20s.

"It's extremely frustrating to pick this up after tracking so well with how my hamstring was going... it's gutting and I wish I was out there," he said.

New Zealand will play three Twenty20 Internationals from October 21, followed by three One-Day Internationals and three Tests, although Guptill is not part of the Test squad.

After securing a 2-1 T20 series win over Pakistan A during the week, New Zealand A will begin their one-day series against Pakistan A in Dubai on Sunday.

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New Zealand Cricket Team Pakistan Cricket Team Martin Guptill Gavin Larsen Cricket