Ben Sears ruled out of Champions Trophy, 30-year-old pacer called in as replacement – India TV

With the Champions Trophy 2025 right around the corner, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) have been forced to make an 11th-hour change in their squad for the tournament. It was revealed that fast bowler Ben Sears has been ruled out of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 with a hamstring injury.

It is worth noting that Sears felt some pain in his left hamstring at the team’s first training in Karachi ahead of the tournament, and scans had revealed a minor tear that needed two weeks of rehab to recover. The timeline of the recovery meant that Sears would only be available for New Zealand’s final group stage fixture against India, which saw him being ruled out. 

In his place, NZC announced that 30-year-old Jacob Duffy will be added to the squad for the Champions Trophy 2025. Duffy is already a part of the side, as he is part of the squad for the ODI Tri-Series against Pakistan and South Africa.

It is worth noting that Jacob Duffy has played 10 ODIs in his career so far, where he has taken 18 wickets to his name. He also maintains an economy of 6.25 and could go on to be a fine addition to the Black Caps’ squad for the tournament. 

The side’s head coach, Gary Stead, talked about how Ben Sears could be a big miss for the side in the competition. He also mentioned how it could be even tougher on Sears, considering the upcoming Champions Trophy would have been his first ICC tournament. 

“We’re all really feeling for Ben. It’s always tough being ruled out of a major event at such a late stage, and it’s especially tough in Ben’s case given it would have been his first major ICC event,” Stead said in an NZC release.

“The timeframes for Ben to be fit to play again meant he would likely miss the majority of the group stage, and given the short nature of the tournament, we felt it was appropriate to bring in a player who is fully fit and ready to go,” he added.