“He’s been wicketkeeping, batting in nets”: Gary Stead provides update on Devon Conway’s injury

Wellington [New Zealand], May 16 (ANI): New Zealand head coach Gary Stead is confident of having a full straight squad when the team leave for the upcoming T20 World Cup and said their hard-hitting batter Finn Allen and opener Devon Conway are making good progress.

Meanwhile, Stead said Conway will be evaluated by the medical team upon his return from India next week and Allen’s training will be intensified at the team camp in Mount Maunganui.

Conway and Allen, New Zealand’s first-choice opening pair, have been out since February due to thumb and back issues respectively.

Tim Southee, who missed the Pakistan tour to work on fitness and conditioning, will not play any games since the New Zealand season ended.

“[He] is tracking nicely. He’s been wicketkeeping and batting in the nets on a regular basis,” Stead said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Stead remained optimistic about preparations ahead of facing Afghanistan in their T20 World Cup opener on June 7.

“We’ve only got two players who haven’t been to a T20 World Cup that are in this squad. That shows our group is experienced and they can lean back on those past experiences,” he said.

The players in New Zealand have been practicing on a variety of surfaces in an attempt to recreate what they would find in Guyana and Trinidad, where they will play their group matches.

Stead felt that surfaces may initially be favourable to greater results before tiring depending on how frequently they were used.

New Zealand is relying on mixed fortunes from the IPL, a recent tour of Pakistan, and Caribbean Premier League (CPL) experience to guarantee they are prepared for their T20 World Cup campaign in the lack of formal warm-up games. New Zealand’s first match at the T20 World Cup comes against Afghanistan in Guyana on June 7, with further Group C contests to follow with co-hosts West Indies, Uganda and Papua New Guinea.

“West Indies is a tough place to get to for a start, so it’s not easy to get everyone to Trinidad and Tobago at the same time. For us, we don’t have warm-up games. There’s a number of guys who have been in the IPL for the last two months and we’ve also recently come off the tour to Pakistan,” head coach Stead said.

New Zealand Squad: Kane Williamson (C), Finn Allen, Trent Boult, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi and Tim Southee.

Travelling Reserve: Ben Sears.