Photo Credit: New Zealand Cricket
Tim Southee will undergo surgery this Thursday on the thumb he dislocated and fractured in the BLACKCAPS final ODI against England on Saturday.
A decision on the senior pace-bowler’s availability for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup in India will be made early next week once the results of the surgery are known.
BLACKCAPS coach Gary Stead remained hopeful Southee could recover in time to be available for the tournament.
“We’ve got our fingers crossed the surgery goes well for Tim,” Stead said.
“He’ll have some pins or screws inserted in his right thumb and, providing the procedure is a success, it will be a matter of ensuring Tim can tolerate the pain and manage the actual wound when returning to train and play.
“Our opening game of the World Cup against England is not until Thursday October 5 in Ahmedabad, so that would be our logical target in terms of his availability.
“Tim’s obviously a hugely experienced and important figure in our team and we want to give him every chance to be part of this World Cup campaign.”
The BLACKCAPS will play two tournament warm-up matches starting with Pakistan in Hyderabad on Friday September 29, followed by a meeting with South Africa in Trivandrum on Monday October 2.
The New Zealand-based World Cup players not on the current tour of Bangladesh will depart to India from next Tuesday.
The New Zealand national cricket team, known as the Black Caps, made their Test debut in 1930 against England in Christchurch, becoming the fifth nation to play Test cricket. After waiting 26 years for their first Test win against the West Indies in 1956, they also played their first ODI in 1972–73 against Pakistan. New Zealand are the inaugural World Test Championship champions (2021) and have won the ICC Champions Trophy (2000). They have reached the Cricket World Cup final twice and the T20 World Cup final once.
