Tim Southee, a senior fast bowler for New Zealand, was given the all-clear to travel to India for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 on Tuesday (September 25), much to the relief of the nation’s cricket supporters.
To cure the thumb injury he suffered in the fourth and final ODI against England at Lord’s earlier this month, Southee underwent surgery on September 20.
The 34-year-old sustained the injury when attempting to catch a ball that Joe Root had hit with his thumb, but the ball instead bounced to third man. A subsequent x-ray revealed that Southee had fractured and dislocated a bone in his right thumb.
Tim Southee’s availability for selection early in the championship competition, scheduled to begin on October 5 with the New Zealand versus England match in Ahmedabad, was something that Kiwi head coach Gary Stead was “really hopeful” about..
Tim visited a hand specialist yesterday, and his main concern is that the wound heals. “We’re letting him stay at home a little bit longer. On Saturday, he’ll visit and join the group.
Five pins were placed into Southee’s right thumb during the treatment, and according to Stead, the wound has so far appeared to be healing well.
“I had a great conversation with him about that yesterday. He is confident that he will be prepared for the first or second game.
The objective behind the procedure was to help the patient recover more quickly than would otherwise be the case. “It’s a quick recovery,” Stead continued.
He’s had a check-in with the surgeon and hand therapists, and they believe there may be some discomfort left, but he’s a really tough and tenacious character, so we were lucky to still have him on our squad.
Kyle Jamieson will join the World Cup team as a backup for Southee but won’t be affiliated with the team in any official capacity. Jamieson won’t take part in the exhibition games against South Africa and Pakistan.
Stead explained that keeping Jamieson around was “just to make sure that we have someone there that’s ready replacement if another bowler goes down right before the first game, or Tim doesn’t heal as quickly or has some sort of setback.”
