Star New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell will miss the second Test against South Africa (starting February 13 in Hamilton) and the following T20I series versus Australia to recover from the long-troubling foot injury.
Mitchell will skip the home matches to give himself the best time to heal from the injury that has lingered for over seven months.
The right-handed batter missed the final T20 against Pakistan in January, and after consulting the team doctors and physios, he will sit out for a couple of weeks to get fit in time for Australia Tests. Averaging 53.46 in the red-ball format, Mitchell would be a key player for New Zealand in the middle-order against the travelling Aussies.
Briefing the media, New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said that given the team is playing regularly (heading into the T20 World Cup in June in the Caribbean and the USA), providing Daryl with the required time off was the need of the hour. Though Gary added that his (Daryl) time away from cricket wouldn’t guarantee completehealing, the head coach hopes the batting mainstay will get closer to full fitness by the time the Australia Tests begin.