BLACKCAPS pace bowler Ben Sears will play six games for Melbourne University Cricket Club in the Victorian Cricket Premier competition as he completes his return to play from a hamstring injury.
The 27-year-old has been recovering from a left-hamstring tear sustained while training in the week following the KFC T20I series against Australia in October.
With little short format cricket available in New Zealand, and the nature of Sear’s injury and return to play plan requiring completing bowling loads on grass wickets, the decision was made to send Sears across the Tasman to compete his return to play plan.
As part of that plan, Sears will play five T20 matches and a 50-Over match for University, with the aim for him to then return to professional cricket with the Wellington Firebirds for their Super Smash opener against the Central Stags on December 27.
BLACKCAPS head coach Rob Walter said Sears was tracking well.
“Ben has missed a large portion of cricket in two out of the last three summers, so it was important for him to get as much cricket as possible on grass wickets leading into his Super Smash return,” said Walter.
“He’s a big part of our future plans and with an important period of T20 cricket ahead of us, we want to ensure Ben has the safest and most appropriate return to play plan in place.
“He’s been progressing well and we’re looking forward to seeing how he gets on in Melbourne.”
Sears has featured for the BLACKCAPS in 22 T20Is, 4 ODIs and a single Test, taking 38 wickets, and became the first New Zealand men’s player ever to take back-to-back ODI five-wicket bags, against Pakistan last summer.
Sears will play his first match for University, a T20 against Kingston-Hawthorn, this Sunday.
