Tim Southee needs surgery on his fractured and dislocated thumb suffered in the final Black Caps ODI against England and is in doubt for the upcoming Cricket World Cup.
New Zealand Cricket said a decision on Southee's availability for the tournament in India which starts on October 5 will be made early next week once the results of the surgery are known. The Black Caps lost the series against England 3-1.
Coach Gary Stead said he remained hopeful that Southee would recover in time.
“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 Black Caps will play two tournament warm-up matches, starting with Pakistan in Hyderabad on Friday, September 29, followed by South Africa in Trivandrum on Monday, October 2.
The New Zealand-based World Cup players not on the current tour of Bangladesh will depart for India from next Tuesday.
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