West Indies forced to call for reinforcement after injury to key allrounder

West Indies have suffered a setback in their ongoing five‑match ODI series against New Zealand, with seam‑bowling allrounder Justin Greaves ruled out of the second and third matches due to a back injury. Cricket West Indies confirmed that Greaves has returned to Barbados to continue his rehabilitation.

In his place, the selectors have drafted in Shimron Hetmyer as an injury replacement. Hetmyer was initially not considered for selection for the first three ODIs to allow him to complete his stint with the Seattle Orcas in Major League Cricket (MLC). Orcas finished fifth in the group stage, collecting just eight points from four wins and six defeats in 10 games, a campaign that ended before the knockouts.

That early exit has turned into a blessing in disguise for West Indies, who now have Hetmyer available for the second and third ODIs, and potentially the remainder of the series if Greaves fails to recover in time.

Hetmyer, however, endured an ordinary season with the Orcas, scoring 164 runs in 10 innings at an average of 20.50 and a strike rate of 136.66, with just one fifty to his name. The Windies will hope he can rediscover his touch quickly and provide the batting depth they need in Greaves’ absence.

Cricket West Indies has also informed that Greaves will be reassessed ahead of the fourth and fifth ODIs against the Blackcaps and the subsequent two-match Test series against Pakistan, which begins later this month.

Greaves' absence is a huge setback for the hosts. He played an 180-run knock against Sri Lanka in the first innings of the 2nd Test, which ended in a draw and was named Player of the Series as Windies won 1-0.