Southee sustained a thumb injury when he attempted to take a catch during the fourth ODI against England last week. The extent of his injury will be determined after consultations with specialists in his home country.
Stead and the team management will make a decision regarding the 34-year-old’s participation in the World Cup based on the advice and assessment provided by the specialists.
“Until then, we can’t make a call around the World Cup. We’ll just need to understand the time frames and what that looks like and once we have that information, we will then be able to move forward and make a decision.”
“We’ll want to give Tim every chance of proving his fitness. There will be an element of the unknown being that it’s a bone fracture, and at some stage he will have to start catching balls and bowling again.
“The healing process in the next 10 to 12 days will be pretty important for him as well,” Stead told reporters.
Following their 1-3 defeat in the ODIs against England, the New Zealand team, often referred to as the “Black Caps,” have traveled to Bangladesh for a three-match ODI series set to commence on Thursday.
Before the World Cup, they are scheduled to participate in warm-up matches against Pakistan and South Africa on September 29 and October 2, respectively. The tournament will officially kick off with their opening match against England on October 5.
Southee, who previously featured in the 2011 ODI World Cup held in India, is set to participate in his fourth ODI World Cup.
It’s worth noting that teams have the flexibility to make changes to their 15-player World Cup squad until September 28. After this date, any alterations will require approval from the International Cricket Council (ICC).
New Zealand’s heartbreaking loss to England in the 2019 World Cup final, where they were defeated on boundary countback after a tied Super Over, remains a memorable moment in cricket history.
(With PTI inputs)
