Ahead of the T20I tri-series against Zimbabwe and South Africa, New Zealand has suffered a huge blow as Finn Allen has been ruled out of the series.

The in-form New Zealand batsman sustained a foot injury while featuring in the Major League Cricket tournament. He represented San Francisco Unicorns and will be sent to New Zealand for further examinations.

Allen was the fifth leading run-scorer at the Major League Cricket event prior to his injury and smashed a superb 151 for the Unicorns in their opening match against Washington Freedom in Oakland. With this, he surpassed 'Universe Boss' Chris Gayle's record for the most number of maximums in a T20 match.