The BLACKCAPS will go into their must-win group match against England in the ICC Champions Trophy tonight with a re-shuffled line up after being hit by injuries – and now travel delays.
Pace bowler Daryl Tuffey is the latest to be injured – he broke a bone in his hand during fielding drills at the team’s training session yesterday and is returning to New Zealand.
Also on the way home is opening batsman Jesse Ryder who suffered a recurrence of a groin injury during Sunday’s match against Sri Lanka.
Ryder’s replacement, Aaron Redmond, was due in South Africa overnight after being called up from Australia where he had been training with his Otago Volts team ahead of the Champions League Twenty20 tournament.
However bad weather delayed his departure from Brisbane and his flights had to be rescheduled. He is now expected to arrive in Johannesburg on Tuesday morning local time, just eight hours before the match starts.
A decision on Redmond’s inclusion in the team – and on the final line-up – is not expected until shortly before the match.
