New Zealand opener Rachin Ravindra has not been named in his side's playing XI for the opening game of the Champions Trophy.
Ravindra had suffered a nasty injury to the forehead on February 8, during New Zealand's first match of their tri-series, against the very same opponent as their opening Champions Trophy fixture, Pakistan.
Fielding in the deep on the leg side, Ravindra had run in to attempt a catch off Khushdil Shah's slog sweep, but appeared to lose the ball momentarily in the floodlights. It struck him on the forehead and caused a cut, which bled profusely. He was helped off the field, and did not return.
The following day, New Zealand said Ravindra had received stitches for the wound, and continued to be monitored under HIA (Head Injury Assessment) protocols. The opener did not return to action during the remainder of the tri-series, as Black Caps head coach Gary Stead said ahead of the final, "He's had a headache for a few days, but that's subsiding, which is really good news. He hit a few balls tonight for the first time, which is good. But there's still a few more steps for him to go through before he will be considered fit for play."
At the toss on Wednesday, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner confirmed that Ravindra was not yet ready to make a comeback to the side. The left-hander has been in solid form of late, with two 40-plus scores in his four ODI innings since the last World Cup. His place in the New Zealand XI has been taken by Will Young, who won the Player of the Series award in New Zealand's recent Test whitewash of India.
India are favourites for the Champions Trophy, but how do the other seven sides stack up? 🏆#ChampionsTrophy2025 pic.twitter.com/gp9CPI9L6d
— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) February 18, 2025
Playing XIs, New Zealand vs Pakistan, Champions Trophy match No.1
Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Salman Ali Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.
New Zealand: Will Young, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, Will O'Rourke.
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