Ben Sears Ruled Out of Champions Trophy 2025, Jacob Duffy Named Replacement

New Zealand fast bowler Ben Sears will not be able to take part in the 2025 Champions Trophy due to a hamstring injury. New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has said that the 27-year-old experienced discomfort in his left hamstring while the team was having its first practice session in Karachi ahead of the ODI tri-nation series final.

Scans showed a small tear that will take at least two weeks to heal. This suggests that he may be available for New Zealand's final league encounter against India on March 2. Nevertheless, considering his time of recovery, New Zealand Cricket chose to remove him from the tournament.

Sears has played two One Day Internationals (ODIs) for New Zealand, making his debut against Pakistan on February 8. In those two matches, he bowled 16 overs and gave away 104 runs. However, he is still waiting to take his first wicket in ODIs. The Cricket Board has replaced the injured Ben Sears with Jacob Duffy. Duffy made his ODI debut against Ireland in 2022. He has played 10 ODIs, bowled 448 balls, and taken 18 wickets. His last ODI was against Sri Lanka on January 8, 2025. Duffy is already in Pakistan with the team for the ODI Tri-Series against Pakistan and South Africa.

"We're all really feeling for Ben," said head coach Gary Stead. "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.

"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," said Stead. "Ben is a player with huge potential and given the short rehabilitation timeframe, we're sure he'll be fit and raring to go for the home series against Pakistan back in New Zealand."

About Duffy's inclusion as a replacement, Stead added: "Jacob showed with his performances in the recent home series against Sri Lanka that he is more than capable at international level. He's been part of the squad for the ODI Tri-Series so he's fully acclimatised and he's got plenty of experience in these conditions and is fit and ready to go. He's another player who will be experiencing his first senior ICC event, so it will be an exciting few weeks ahead for him."

New Zealand squad for Champions Trophy 2025

Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young, Jacob Duffy.