Conway will undergo further testing on his injured left thumb before Wednesday’s fitness test to ensure he is fit to play on Thursday.
alex malcom
New Zealand opener Devon Conway will undergo a fitness test on his injured thumb ahead of the first Test against Australia in Wellington on Wednesday, but will require further assessment by a specialist and was injured last Friday. I haven’t hit a ball since I hit the ball.
Conway injured his left thumb while wicketkeeping during the second T20I against Australia in Auckland on Friday. His initial examination confirmed a fracture, but he was unable to hold or bat after the hit and was excluded from Game 3 of the series.
New Zealand manager Gary Stead confirmed Conway did not practice on Tuesday and a decision on whether he will be available for the first Test will be made on Wednesday.
“At this time, we are still examining Devon’s thumb,” Stead said. “He’s seeing some specialists at the moment. We won’t be able to see him in training today, but we hope to be able to make a call tomorrow morning about the location. “It’s not comfortable at the moment. But like I said, we’re still trying to figure out exactly what’s going on with the thumb. We’ve consulted various experts. I got it.”
Stead admitted he needed to see Conway hit the ball into the net before he was cleared to play.
“He will undergo further scans later today to gain more expertise,” Stead said. “We obviously want Devon to play. I think he’s a key part of our batting order. His performance speaks for itself, so we want to give him every chance to play. That’s what I think.”
Stead confirmed that Rachin Ravindra, who missed the last two T20Is against Australia as a precautionary measure due to a knee injury, is fit to play. Darryl Mitchell is also fit to play, although he missed the second Test against South Africa and the entire T20I series against Australia to deal with ongoing heel issues.
Mitchell will return to the number five spot, so Will Young is likely to take his place unless Conway is ruled out, in which case he will start alongside Tom Latham.
Neil Wagner announced his retirement from international cricket on Tuesday after being told he would not be selected for the two Tests against Australia. His position in the team is ceremonial only for this Wellington Test.
New Zealand faced four fast bowlers in the last Test in Hamilton, and Stead admitted it was probably a poor selection, despite winning the match. Mitchell Santner looks likely to regain his spot at Wellington.
“In hindsight, I think we probably misbehaved with the pitch behavior,” Stead said. “We definitely have Mitch Santner here as an option and we’ll definitely consider him as well.”
Skipper Tim Southee, Matt Henry and Will O’Rourke are likely to be a quick trio, with Scott Kuggelein the only other fast bowling option in the squad. It’s been two days since the first Test and the pitch looks a typical green, but those who have been to the middle will tell you that despite being covered in living green grass, underneath it is very He said it looks good and solid.
New Zealand have not beaten Australia in a home Test since 1993 and haven’t won anywhere since 2011, but Stead said the series was an opportunity to improve their record against their neighbours.
“We don’t play Australia that often, which is strange considering Australia is just across the Tasman River,” Stead said. “But look, they’ve always set benchmarks and they’re the current world test champions and there’s a reason why they’re that way. They’re a very good team. But it’s our ‘And I think it’s for us to go out and show our product.’ And we’re certainly looking forward to the challenges that are coming. ”
Alex Malcolm is deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo