Blundell had sustained a left-quad strain in the recently-concluded T20I series in Bangladesh
“Tom’s been working hard since the injury in Bangladesh,” Nishil Shah, the New Zealand physio, said. “The injury’s not quite where we want it so we think it’s best for him to concentrate on his rehab given the big summer of cricket ahead.”
Blundell has not played an ODI since he made his debut in the home series against India last February. During the recent T20Is against Bangladesh, he played four matches, scoring a total of 42 runs.
“Obviously everyone is gutted for Tom, he’s a quality player with a diverse skill-set,” New Zealand’s coach Glenn Pocknall said. “He’ll remain with the squad and we’re hopeful he’ll be available again for the T20I series.”
“We’re fortunate to have someone of Daryl’s quality to join us early for the ODIs. He’s shown last summer what a destructive batsman he is, while also offering another useful bowling option.
“With Tom out, we do lose our first choice back-up wicketkeeping option. However there are several guys in the squad with keeping experience and we’ll ensure they do the necessary work at training to be up to speed if called upon.”
New Zealand will begin their tour of Pakistan with the first ODI in Rawalpindi on September 17.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo