The Black Caps’ brains trust is standing by their decision not to rotate the quick bowlers during the Cricket World Cup, in the wake of Adam Milne’s tournament-ending injury.

New Zealand will wait to the morning of their World Cup semi-final to make a call on who replaces Milne in the team to play South Africa at Eden Park.

The right-arm quick was ruled out of the tournament on Monday morning after an injury to his left heel flared up in Saturday’s quarterfinal victory over the West Indies in Wellington.

Milne felt discomfort following the match and underwent an MRI scan on Sunday afternoon, the results showing significant swelling.

New Zealand coach Mike Hesson on Monday informed a ‘gutted’ Milne that he would be replaced in the squad by Canterbury quick Matt Henry, who had joined the team on Sunday. – stuff.co.nz

INDIA ARE WANTING FOR PACE, SAYS DAWES

Former India fast-bowling coach Joe Dawes doubts whether India can replicate the devastating impact Wahab Riaz had when they play Australia in Thursday’s semi-final and believes they will be confronted with the psychological baggage of their winless summer against the co-hosts.

Riaz, 29, is still the talk of the World Cup despite Pakistan being on their way home, owing to a memorable spell in Adelaide that took care of Dave Warner and Michael Clarke and had Shane Watson almost doing the limbo as he reared away from the tournament’s most menacing short-pitched bowling to date.

‘No doubt they’ll try that. [But] around the wicket is going to be a bit harder than just having a left-hander there,’ said Dawes, who was cut as Indian bowling coach ahead of the Australian tour last October.

‘They will have watched that and will give it a go, and Umesh has definitely got the pace to do it but he’s not an overly tall man so that sort of changes the trajectory and the bounce. The left-armers are proving to be quite difficult throughout the whole tournament, aren’t they?

‘They’ll be doing their homework and will give it a crack. Fletch [India’s coach Duncan Fletcher] is a pretty astute coach, he’ll be watching all of these things and he’ll look to try and bring that in somewhere and give it a whirl. But the left-hander is a big advantage and that’s where the Indians don’t have anyone with real pace, or any left-hand bowlers here at the moment.’ – smh.co.au