Prior to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, the New Zealand cricket squad has been handed a severe blow after right-arm bowler Tim Southee injured his thumb during their most recent One Day International (ODI) match against England on September 17.
The 34-year-old will have surgery, and it won’t be decided until next week whether he will take part in the major event.
Tim Southee of New Zealand will have thumb surgery before the World Cup
Southee injured his thumb while attempting to take a catch, breaking and dislocating it.
Tim Southee will have surgery on his fractured and dislocated thumb on Thursday, according to a statement from New Zealand Cricket (NZC), which was released on Wednesday.
Once the findings of the surgery are known, a decision will be taken about the senior pace bowler’s availability for the forthcoming ICC Cricket World Cup in India early next week.
Gary Stead, the coach of New Zealand, said, “We’re crossing our fingers that Tim’s surgery goes well.
It will be a matter of ensuring Tim can tolerate the pain and manage the actual wound when returning to train and play after having pins or screws placed in his right thumb, assuming the procedure is successful.
The natural target date for his availability would be October 5 in Ahmedabad, when we play England in our World Cup opener. We want to give Tim every opportunity to be a part of this World Cup campaign because he is obviously a tremendously experienced and vital character in our team, the coach continued.
The Kiwis have now dispatched their second side to play a three-match ODI series against Bangladesh, which is scheduled to start on Thursday, after playing a four-match ODI series against England.
However, despite being a member of the World Cup team, captain Kane Williamson is yet to participate in a competitive game following surgery for an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) he sustained during the 16th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
It should be mentioned that the Black Caps finished as runners-up in the World Cup after they were humiliated by England in the championship game on “boundary count” in 2019.
New Zealand’s squad for World Cup
Kane Williamson (c), Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young.
