Devon Conway ruled out of summit clash against Australia
Devon Conway (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)
New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter Devon Conway will miss the final of the 20-20 World Cup against Australia due to a broken hand. The southpaw suffered the injury when he struck his bat in frustration after being dismissed for 46 against England in the semifinal. It is a massive setback for New Zealand considering the good form Conway was in.
Coming in at a vital position in the middle order, the southpaw was able to play according to the situation. Conway’s partnership with Daryl Mitchell helped New Zealand recover from early blows and reach a good position in the semifinal.
New Zealand head coach Gary Stead revealed that Conway is disappointed after being ruled out. “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,” Stead said in a video posted on New Zealand Cricket’s official Twitter page.
“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,”
Conway won’t be part of the upcoming T20I series against India too. Also, New Zealand won’t be able to name a replacement for Conway due to COVID-19 protocols. However, Stead is hopeful of getting a replacement for Tests. “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,” said Stead.
Tim Seifert will most likely replace Conway in the final, set to be played on Sunday (November 14).
