Key players sidelined as NZ face injury concerns ahead of series against Australia

Wellington [New Zealand], August 26 (ANI): New Zealand will miss their key players in the upcoming home series against Australia, with a pair of stars facing up to three months on the sidelines, as per the official website of ICC.
Pacer Will O'Rourke (back), all-rounder Glenn Phillips (groin), batter Finn Allen (foot) and white-ball skipper Mitchell Santner (groin) are all battling various ailments and are likely to miss upcoming visits from Australia, England and the West Indies later this year.
O'Rourke's back injury is the most serious of the quartet, with the right-armer set to be out of action for at least three months after scans revealed he had a stress fracture in his lower back.
The 24-year-old was sent home when he picked up the injury during the first Test against Zimbabwe earlier this month and subsequent assessment showed he will miss white-ball series against Australia (October 1 - 4), England (October 18 - 1 November) and the West Indies (November 5-22).
"We're really feeling for Will at the moment and wishing him speedy recovery," New Zealand coach Rob Walter said, as quoted from the official website of ICC.
"He's had such an impressive start to his career and so naturally it is disappointing when an injury like this comes along, but he's a resilient guy and determined to put the work in and come back stronger," he added.
Phillips has been ruled out of the series at home against Australia and will be re-assessed in a month's time to work out a potential return date, while Allen faces three months out of action as he continues to recover from surgery on his foot.
Santner is booked in for abdominal surgery and faces at least one month on the sidelines, with Walter hoping his captain will be fit to face Australia in the three-match T20I series that commences on October 1.
"Mitch is a world class player and a crucial part of our T20 side from a skills and leadership point of view," Walter said.
"With that in mind we expect to name him in our squad when we announce it in a couple of weeks' time, and from there we can assess how his rest and rehabilitation progresses following surgery, before making a call on the eve of the series," he noted.
"It's disappointing to lose the services of Glenn and Finn who have played important batting roles in our T20 set up in recent times," he added.
"Like in Zimbabwe, their unavailability will present opportunities for others to put their hands up in what's going to be a hugely exciting and important series against Australia," he said. (ANI)