The Sydney Thunder have been dealt an injury blow ahead of BBL|14 with New Zealand quick Lockie Ferguson suffering a calf strain on national duty.
New Zealand Cricket confirmed on Tuesday that Ferguson had been ruled out of the current ODI series against Sri Lanka.
The statement said: “Ferguson left the field after experiencing discomfort while bowling his second over and an initial medical assessment indicated that he would not be fit enough to take part in the upcoming 50-over matches.
“Ferguson will return home to New Zealand today for scans which will determine the extent of the injury and the period of rehabilitation required.”
The Thunder open BBL|14 on Tuesday 17 December against the Adelaide Strikers in Canberra.
Ferguson will taken by the Thunder with pick 3 in the BBL|14 Draft while they’ve also added fast bowler Wes Agar, following the exits of Zaman Khan and Gurinder Sandhu.
It’s been mixed news on the injury front for the Thunder this week with all-rounder Daniel Sams returning to action in NSW Premier Cricket with Randwick-Petersham on the weekend, but only as a batsman.
Earlier this week, top-order batsman Jason Sangha sustained a bicep strain bowling for SA against NSW in the One-Day Cup.
Honeyball understands Sangha will undergo a short period of rehabilitation, meaning the issue shouldn’t impact his early BBL|14 availability.
View our predicted Thunder line-up for Round 1
