Sport, like life, rarely waits for full strength before demanding performance. New Zealand's cricket side must now prepare for a five-match T20 series against India — the very team that defeated them by 96 runs in this year's World Cup final — without middle-order batter Mark Chapman, lost to a hamstring injury sustained in European league play, and fast bowler Zak Foulkes, whose hip flexor complaint offers no clear horizon for return. In their place, Josh Clarkson and Blair Tickner join a 16-member squad that will open in Christchurch on October 22, carrying both the weight of recent defeat a
Chapman, Foulkes Out: New Zealand Faces Injury Crisis Before India T20I Series
We're fortunate to lean on their expertise as we prepare for an epic series
Mark
So Chapman's out for the whole series—that's a real blow for the middle order, isn't it?
Mimi
It is. He's a key batter for them, and losing him to a hamstring injury means they're reshuffling. But the fact that they're already thinking about getting him back for the ODI series suggests they're not panicking about the injury itself—it's just a matter of timing.
Luke
Right, but we should be clear: we know Chapman got hurt in Europe, and we know he won't play these five matches. What we don't actually know is how serious the hamstring is or whether it could linger. The ODI timeline is an intention, not a guarantee.
Mark
And Foulkes—the hip flexor thing sounds less certain?
Mimi
Much less. There's no timeline at all for him. He might play, he might not. It's a wait-and-see situation, which is harder to plan around than Chapman's clear absence.
Luke
Exactly. Chapman is a known quantity—he's out, full stop. Foulkes is an unknown. And that uncertainty probably affects team selection more than people realize.
Mark
So Clarkson and Tickner stepping in—are they like-for-like replacements, or is this a chance to try something different?
Mimi
Clarkson's an all-rounder, so he gives them flexibility. Tickner's a pace bowler, so he's more directly replacing Foulkes's role. But "replacement" might be generous—they're capable players, but they're not the same players.
Luke
And we should note: we don't know if either of them has played much T20I cricket recently, or if they're coming in cold. The source doesn't tell us that. Walter's optimistic, which is his job, but the actual form and readiness of these two is still a question mark.
Il Polso
- New Zealand enters a high-stakes rematch against India already short-handed, with two meaningful contributors ruled out before a ball is bowled.
- Chapman's hamstring tear — sustained abroad in European T20 league cricket — is a clean but costly absence, with management already redirecting his recovery toward the ODI series that follows.
- Foulkes' hip flexor injury is the more unsettling of the two: no timeline, no certainty, just an open question hanging over the squad's bowling depth.
- All-rounder Josh Clarkson and fast bowler Blair Tickner have been called into the 16-member squad, with head coach Rob Walter framing their inclusion as an opportunity rather than a concession.
- The shadow of the T20 World Cup final — a 96-run loss to this same Indian side — gives the series an edge of reckoning that injuries alone cannot diminish.
Sport, like life, rarely waits for full strength before demanding performance. New Zealand's cricket side must now prepare for a five-match T20 series against India — the very team that defeated them by 96 runs in this year's World Cup final — without middle-order batter Mark Chapman, lost to a hamstring injury sustained in European league play, and fast bowler Zak Foulkes, whose hip flexor complaint offers no clear horizon for return. In their place, Josh Clarkson and Blair Tickner join a 16-member squad that will open in Christchurch on October 22, carrying both the weight of recent defeat and the quiet opportunity that adversity sometimes provides.
New Zealand will begin their five-match T20I series against India on October 22 in Christchurch without two players they had counted on. Mark Chapman, the middle-order batter, tore a hamstring during European T20 league cricket last month and has been ruled out of the entire series. Team management has already shifted focus to his recovery for the ODI series that follows, making his absence definitive. Zak Foulkes, a fast bowler managing a hip flexor complaint, presents a less certain picture — no return date has been set, leaving his involvement in doubt without fully closing the door.
To cover the gaps, New Zealand has expanded to a 16-member squad, calling up all-rounder Josh Clarkson and fast bowler Blair Tickner. Head coach Rob Walter expressed genuine regret for the injured players while voicing confidence in their replacements. "I'm gutted for Mark and Zak," Walter said, "but I know Josh and Blair are both very excited to be involved in what's shaping up to be an epic T20 series." Captain Mitchell Santner leads a group that includes Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Lockie Ferguson, and Kyle Jamieson, among others.
The series carries a particular emotional charge. India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs in the T20 World Cup final earlier this year, a margin that left little room for consolation. These five matches — moving from Christchurch to Wellington, Auckland, and Hamilton through November 1 — offer New Zealand a chance to measure themselves again against the same opponent, though with a batting order and bowling attack that will require some reconfiguration before the first ball is bowled.
New Zealand's cricket team will take the field against India next month without two key players, both sidelined by injury in the weeks before their first match. Mark Chapman, the team's middle-order batter, pulled a hamstring while playing in a European T20 league last month and will not be available for any of the five scheduled contests. Zak Foulkes, a fast bowler, is managing a hip flexor injury with no clear date for his return to play. The series opens October 22 in Christchurch, with matches following in the same city four days later, then Wellington on October 27, Auckland on October 30, and Hamilton on November 1.
Chapman's absence is the more definitive of the two. The injury occurred during his stint in European cricket, and team management has already shifted their focus to getting him fit for the subsequent ODI series against India rather than rushing him back for these T20 matches. Foulkes presents a murkier picture—his hip flexor complaint has not yet produced a timeline for recovery, leaving the door open to a potential return, though nothing is certain.
To fill the gaps, New Zealand has called up all-rounder Josh Clarkson and fast bowler Blair Tickner to a 16-member squad. Head coach Rob Walter acknowledged the disappointment of losing Chapman and Foulkes but framed the replacements as capable additions. "I'm gutted for Mark and Zak, and I wish them both a smooth recovery," Walter said. "We're fortunate to be able to lean on the expertise of Josh and Blair. I know they're both very excited to be involved in what's shaping up to be an epic T20 series." The squad, led by captain Mitchell Santner, includes batters Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, and Tim Seifert, along with bowlers Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, and Nathan Smith.
The timing of these injuries carries particular weight. New Zealand and India met in the T20 World Cup final earlier this year, with India winning decisively by 96 runs. That loss sits fresh in the minds of both teams as they prepare for this five-match series, which represents a chance for New Zealand to recalibrate and test themselves against the same opponent under different circumstances. The absence of Chapman and Foulkes means the team will be working with a slightly different balance than they might have preferred, forcing adjustments to batting order and bowling combinations that Walter and his coaching staff will need to finalize in the coming weeks.
Citazioni salienti
I'm gutted for Mark and Zak, and I wish them both a smooth recovery. We're fortunate to be able to lean on the expertise of Josh and Blair.— Rob Walter, New Zealand head coach
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