Kyle Jamieson to miss the last Test against England with 'stress-reaction' in his lower back

New Zealand pace bowler, Kyle Jamieson is set to return home with a stress reaction in his lower back. Meanwhile, he will miss next week's third and final Test at Headingley. MRI scans revealed the extent of his injury after Jamieson pulled up mid-over experiencing sharp pain in his lower back on the third evening of the second Test. However, England won by five wickets in a thrilling final session at Trent Bridge on Tuesday.

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Jamison did not return to the field until the fifth morning after being passed fit to bat. He came to bat in New Zealand's second innings at No.10 but went for a duck. Meanwhile, he didn't bowl in the 4th innings. New Zealand felt his absence as England chased down a target of 299 comfortably. Jonny Bairstow's innings of 136 off just 92 balls and Ben Stokes' unbeaten 75 off 70 take an unassailable 2-0 series lead.

It is expected that Jamieson will need four to six weeks' rest before beginning a rehabilitation program. He may make a potential return to play in September or October.

"It's always sad to see players forced to leave a tour early with an injury": Gary Stead

Pace bowler Blair Tickner, who was with the Test side in England for their early tour games, was called into the squad as Jamieson's replacement. He will arrive in the UK ahead of the third Test on June 23. New Zealand also has Neil Wagner in their squad who is yet to feature in the series.

Meanwhile, Tickner's domestic teammate, Dane Cleaver, received his maiden Test call-up as a replacement for wicketkeeper Cam Fletcher. Fletcher was also ruled out of the tour with a grade-two right-hamstring strain, sustained while fielding as a substitute on day four of the second Test. He will need six to eight weeks to recover.

"It's always sad to see players forced to leave a tour early with an injury"

"Kyle had played such a big role in the first Test at Lord's and I know how disappointed he was to have had his involvement in the second Test curtailed"

Gary Stead, the New Zealand coach, said

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"He's obviously a huge asset for us and we'll be making sure we are patient with his recovery to ensure he returns fully fit with plenty more important cricket still to come later this year."

Kyle Jamieson has missed only one of the 17 Tests New Zealand has played since his debut. He was left out as part of his workload management during their victory over England at Edgbaston last year. After taking six wickets at Lord's last week he rose to No.3 in the ICC men's Test bowling rankings