A seam bowling, middle-order batsman, Mitchell sustained the blow while batting in the nets and his hand would remain in cast for at least two weeks.

A seam bowling, middle-order batsman, Mitchell sustained the blow while batting in the nets and his hand would remain in cast for at least two weeks.

A seam bowling, middle-order batsman, Mitchell sustained the blow while batting in the nets and his hand would remain in cast for at least two weeks.

Wellington: New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell is doubtful for the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia after fracturing the little finger on his right hand, the team said on Friday.

The 31-year-old has been ruled out of the ongoing T20 tri-series in Christchurch also involving Pakistan and Bangladesh.

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A seam bowling, middle-order batsman, Mitchell sustained the blow while batting in the nets and his hand would remain in cast for at least two weeks, New Zealand Cricket said in a statement.

"It's a real shame for Daryl to suffer this injury on the eve of an exciting period of cricket for the side," coach Gary Stead said.

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"Daryl's become a really important player to our T20 unit and we're certainly going to miss his all-round skills and versatility in the tri-series.

"With our first game of the World Cup in just over two weeks we need to take some to consider Daryl's recovery timeline and his potential involvement in the tournament."

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New Zealand begin their World Cup campaign against champions Australia on October 22 in a repeat of the last year's final.