Adam Milne ruled out due to an Achilles injury; replaced by Jacob Duffy in the T20I squad

New Zealand will be without the services of fast bowler Adam Milne, who has been ruled out of the side's ongoing European tour. 

Milne is set to miss the remaining white-ball series against Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands after being diagnosed with an Achilles injury.

Jacob Duffy has been drafted into the T20I squad as his replacement. The fast-bowler will likely play in all three T20Is against Ireland and two against Scotland before taking on the Dutch team.

Duffy, who played in the second ODI against Ireland, was awarded player of the match on his T20I debut against Pakistan back in 2020. However, he has played just one ODI and 4 T20Is so far.

Latest setback for the pacer

The 30-year-old complained about the pain during the Kiwis' first net session in Ireland, where further scans revealed the extent of his injury.

He will now head home to recover and will not participate in the Netherlands series, which begins in August.

The BlackCaps will also visit the West Indies for 3-T20I and 3-ODI series in mid-August.

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Jurgensen talks about Milne’s unfortunate injury

New Zealand bowling coach Shane Jurgensen expressed that Milne is determined to make a comeback as he considers himself a potential candidate for the T20 World Cup squad.

"We're naturally disappointed for Adam. He's a great character in any team, and I am sure he'll apply his strong will to this next phase of rehabilitation," Jurgensen said.

"There is still a lot of cricket to come this year, including the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia, and Adam is determined to make himself available to be part of that selection picture," he added.

The right-arm paceman has been troubled by injuries, which has seen him miss out on a lot of cricket internationally.

Milne has played 40 ODIs and 31 T20Is for New Zealand, including the ICC T20 World Cup Final in 2021 against the defending champions Australia. 

Notably, the Kiwis have taken an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the three-match ODI series and will face the Irish challenge in the final dead rubber at Dublin today.