Journalism of Courage
New Zealand opening batsman Martin Guptill has been ruled out from all forms of cricket to undergo six weeks of strength training and rehabilitation on separate hamstring injuries.
This effectively means that Guptill will miss the remainder of the New Zealand season and the start of the IPL to undergo strengthening work on his hamstrings in an attempt to ensure he is fully fit for the Champions Trophy in June. Guptill was was supposed to play for Kings XI Punjab, who had bought him for Rs 50 Lakh in the player action last month.
The 30-year-old was unavailable for New Zealand’s matches against Australia and South Africa in February, but scored 180 not out on his return in the fourth one-day international against the Proteas in Hamilton on March 1. But he did complain of some pain.
“At the moment Martin isn’t fit to play and the time we give him now to strengthen his hamstrings will play a big role in mitigating future risk too,” New Zealand team physiotherapist Tommy Simsek said in a statement. “We’ve put a programme in place to make sure that Martin can return to full strength and we’ll continue to monitor him closely.”, he added.
Meanwhile, coach Mike Hesson said Guptill’s importance to the one-day squad for June’s Champions Trophy in England meant a complete break from cricket was the best option.
Get latest updates on IPL 2024 from IPL Points Table to Teams, Schedule, Most Runs and Most Wickets along with live score updates for all matches. Also get Sports news and more cricket updates.
