Southee to miss Zimbabwe tour

BLACKCAPS fast bowler Tim Southee will miss the one-off Test match against Zimbabwe with his knee injury not recovering sufficiently to make the trip.

Southee suffered cartilage damage to his left knee while preparing for the Champions League. The injury kept him out of the short form squads for the tour of Zimbabwe but the selectors named him in the Test squad with the one-off match scheduled for 1 November 2011.

National Selector Manager Kim Littlejohn said: “The latest scans show that the knee injury has improved but the injury has not completely gone away.

“We are taking a long-term view with Tim’s injury and have opted to extend his recovery period rather than rush him back too soon.

“He is expected to be fully fit an available for December’s Test series against Australia.”

Graeme Aldridge, who is already part of the Twenty20 and ODI squad, will now stay on for the Test match.