New Zealand Cricket (NZC) confirmed on Wednesday that opener Finn Allen will miss this month’s Twenty20 tri-series in Zimbabwe after suffering a foot injury.

The 26-year-old sustained the injury while playing for the San Francisco Unicorns in Major League Cricket.

“Allen’s recovery timeline will be determined once he has returned to New Zealand and received further specialist consultations,” NZC said in a statement, adding that a replacement player will be named in due course.

The tri-series, which begins July 14 when Zimbabwe face South Africa, will see New Zealand led by Mitchell Santner. The squad also features explosive batter Bevon Jacobs, who is in line to make his international debut against South Africa on July 16.

Leg-spinner Ish Sodhi spoke highly of the South Africa-born Jacobs ahead of the team’s departure to Harare. “This guy’s an absolute monster,” Sodhi said. “He’s one of those players who can bat at six and hit a six from ball one.

It’s an asset I don’t think we’ve had a lot of in New Zealand cricket.“

New Zealand squad:

Mitchell Santner (captain), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi.