Devon Conway set to undergo surgery for injured thumb, IPL participation for CSK highly unlikely

Wellington [New Zealand], March 4 (ANI): New Zealand opener Devon Conway will be sidelined for eight weeks as he is set to undergo surgery for a thumb injury sustained during the T20I series against Australia, making it highly likely that he will miss the entire season of Indian Premier League (IPL) starting from March 22 onwards, in which he represents Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

Conway has also been ruled out of the second Test against Australia at home. Australia is leading the two-match series 1-0 after a 172-run win at Wellington. The second Test will start at Christchurch from March 8 onwards.

The left-hander was instrumental in CSK’s fifth title win last year, scoring 672 runs in 16 matches at an average of 51.69 and a strike rate of over 139. He scored six half-centuries with the best score of 92*.

New Zealand coach Gary Stead said on the southpaw as quoted by ICC, “We are all feeling for Devon.”

“He is a massive part of the Black Caps and we are going to miss his presence both on and off the field. We wish him all the best for his surgery and we will be there to support him as he begins his recovery,” he added.

Also, inexperienced fast bowler Will O’Rourke injured his hamstring while bowling on the third day of the Wellington Test, which has ruled him out of the second Test.

New Zealand has resisted the urge to hand a shock recall to recently retired quick Neil Wagner and has instead picked the uncapped pacer Ben Sears for the second and final Test against the Aussies, while batter Henry Nicholls will be in the 13-player squad with Conway sidelined.

While Sears is yet to make his Test debut for New Zealand, coach Stead believes the 26-year-old is more than capable of filling the void should the right-armer win selection.

“Ben is a young bowler with a quality skill set,” Stead said.

“He bowls with genuine pace and gets good bounce which is always a great asset in red ball cricket. We have been really impressed by his performances for the Black Caps in white ball cricket this summer and believe he can make the step up to the Test arena if called upon.”

“It is disappointing for Will to be ruled out, especially after making such a strong start to his international career. He has shown he’s a player with huge potential and at 22-years-old we are hopeful we will see a lot more of him in the Black Cap,” concluded Stead.

Test squad: Tim Southee (c), Tom Blundell (wk), Matt Henry, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Kane Williamson, Will Young.