New Zealand’s Devon Conway has been ruled out of the ICC T20 World Cup final against Australia and the subsequent T20I series in India after the batter broke his hand during the semifinal clash against England on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, his participation in the two-Test series against hosts India in December is also uncertain.
Significantly, Conway struck the bat with his hand after he was dismissed following which scans confirmed a break in his right-hand fifth Metacarpal.
Commenting on the development, New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said: “He’s absolutely gutted to be ruled out like this at this time. Devon is hugely passionate about playing for the BLACKCAPS and no one is more disappointed at the moment than he is – so we’re really trying to rally around him. It looked a pretty innocuous reactionary incident on the field, but the blow obviously caught the bat between the glove padding and while it’s not the smartest thing he’s done there’s certainly an element of bad luck in the injury.”
“Devon is a great team-man and a very popular member of the side so we’re all feeling for him. He’s determined to support the team in anyway he can for the remainder of the tour before he returns home to recover. Due to the timelines we won’t be bringing in a replacement player for this World Cup or next week’s T20 series against India, but are working through our options for the Test series later this month,” he added
Conway played six games in the ongoing T20 World Cup, amassing 129 runs at a strike rate of 108.40 for his team New Zealand, which had finished second in Group 2 to enter the semifinals.
In the semis, the Kane Williamson-led side defeated England in a thrilling affair by five wickets to book their place in the final.
The Black Caps will now be up against Australia, which defeated Pakistan by five wickets on Thursday in the second semi-final of the showpiece event.