West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has been ruled out of the upcoming tour of New Zealand due to a groin injury. The experienced 37-year-old sustained the injury on Saturday whilst playing for the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Bravo, the two-time T20 World Cup winner, will now return to Trinidad to continue his rehabilitation.
He will be replaced by Romario Shepherd, the 25-year-old all-rounder, who made his international debut last year against Afghanistan and received his cap from Bravo himself.
Shepherd has so far played five One-Day Internationals and two T20 Internationals (T20Is). The defending ICC T20 World Cup champions will visit New Zealand from November 27 to December 15. They will start the tour with three T20Is, followed by two Test matches as part of the ICC World Test Championship.
“This is a great opportunity for me, and I want to take it with both hands. I was in the team before, last year and earlier this year, so I have a good feel of the game at this level. I’ve been training hard and working at all areas of my game so I’m ready.”Shephard said