Stress fracture forces Kiwi fast bowler McKay out of Australia-Test series

Auckland, Feb 22(ANI): New Zealand fast bowler Andy McKay has been forced out of the upcoming two-game Test series against Australia due to a stress fracture in his foot.

McKay made his debut during the recent ODI series against Bangladesh and played a crucial role during New Zealand's 3-0 win.

However, the 29-year-old picked up an injury and the selectors were forced to overlook him for the Twenty20 and ODI series against Australia starting this week.

It had been hoped that he would be fit for the Test series, which starts on 19 March, but scans have revealed his injury to be far more serious.

"It turns out I've got a stress fracture in my foot. It's not good. I then went back and saw the sports physician on Thursday and the injury had actually settled down quite a bit in a matter of days," Stuff.co.nz quoted McKay, as saying.

"That was fairly encouraging and the doctor thinks my recovery will be a matter of weeks, rather than the usual two to three months that an injury like this normally takes to heal. Obviously the priority now is about getting things right," he added.

New Zealand will face Australia in two Twenty20s, followed by five ODIs and two Tests. (ANI)