New Zealand pacer Tim Southee to undergo surgery on injured thumb: NZC

20 September,2023 03:14 PM IST |  Christchurch  |  IANS

The veteran seamer broke and dislocated his right thumb while attempting to take a catch during the fourth ODI against England last Friday

Tim Southee. Pic/AFP


Experienced fast bowler Tim Southee will undergo surgery this Thursday on the thumb he dislocated and fractured in the fourth and final ODI against England, the New Zealand Cricket Board (NZC) said on Wednesday.

The veteran seamer broke and dislocated his right thumb while attempting to take a catch during the fourth ODI against England last Friday.

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.

Head 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. 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."

After losing to England 3-1 in a four-match ODI series, New Zealand will now play three ODIs in Bangladesh starting September 21 before the BlackCaps' World Cup 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.

New Zealand will open their campaign against defending champions England in what will be the re-match of the 2019 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 5.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
new zealand ODI World Cup 2023 cricket news sports news Sports Update
Related Stories