Dubai: New Zealand wicketkeeper batter Devon Conway was on Thursday ruled out of the T20 World Cup final and the subsequent tour of India after injuring his right hand in frustration following his dismissal in the semifinal against England.
Conway had made a valuable 46 in New Zealand’s successful chase of 167 on Wednesday.
“Conway sustained the injury when he struck his bat immediately after being dismissed in the semifinal win over England in Abu Dhabi, with an X-ray today confirming a break to his right-hand fifth Metacarpal,” said New Zealand Cricket in a statement.
New Zealand face Australia in the final on Sunday.
Head coach Gary Stead said Conway was understandably devastated.
“He’s absolutely gutted to be ruled out like this at this time. Devon is hugely passionate about playing for the Black Caps and no one is more disappointed at the moment than he is, so we’re really trying to rally around him.
“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.
“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.
The India tour begins with the opening T20 in Jaipur on November 17.
—PTI

Press Trust of India