Jess Kerr Ruled Out Of The Sri Lanka Tour Due To A Broken Toe; Leigh Kasperek Returned To The Squad After Two Years

New Zealand pacer Jess Kerr has been ruled out of the upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka due to a broken toe. Jess Kerr injured his toe while batting in the nets last week, and the scans revealed a fracture.

Jess Kerr will need six weeks of rehabilitation. Off-spinner Leigh Kasperek, who didn’t play a single match for the New Zealand women’s cricket team for the past two years, replaced the seam bowler in the squad.

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New Zealand head coach Ben Sawyer said that the injury happened to Jess Kerr ahead of a challenging series in Sri Lankan conditions.

“Picking up an injury so close to departure for a tour is always disappointing. Jess is a key part of our bowling group in both formats and will be missed on what will be a challenging tour,” Ben Sawyer said.

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“Jess has been working really hard over the winter and we were excited to see how she would perform in new conditions for her, but we’re confident she will be back fit and ready for our next challenge after Sri Lanka,” he added.

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Ben Sawyer opened up about Leigh Kasperek’s selection and said that her international experience will help the team in Sri Lankan conditions.

“Leigh has had a challenging 18 months since the World Cup but has always been a player that has been on our radar. She’s been kept out of the side given the form of Fran (Jonas) and Eden (Carson) who’ve been performing consistently well and those spin positions have probably been the most hotly contested in our team,” Sawyer said.

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“With Leigh, Fran, Eden and Melie (Kerr), we have strong depth in our spin bowling stocks, and ultimately that’s the level of depth we want to get to in all positions. Leigh brings a wealth of international experience to the group and I’m sure she will thrive in the Sri Lankan conditions if given an opportunity,” Sawyer added.

Kasperek last played for the New Zealand team during the tour of England in 2021. She represented the nation in 39 ODIs and 46 T20Is, with 65 and 75 wickets, respectively. She is the second-highest wicket-taker for the nation in the shorter format of the game.

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