Devon Conway out of T20 World Cup final

New Zealand wicket-keeper batsman Devon Conway has been ruled out of the ICC T20 World Cup final after sustaining a fractured hand during the semi-final encounter against England. He sis also ruled out of the T20I series in India and is in a race against time to get fit for the Test series against India.

Conway struck the bat with his hand after he was dismissed and scans confirmed a break to his right-hand fifth metacarpal.

“He’s absolutely gutted to be ruled out like this at this time,” head coach Gary Stead said. “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.”

“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. “Devon is a great team-man and a very popular member of the side so we’re all feeling for him. He’s determined to support the team in any way he can for the remainder of the tour before he returns home to recover. 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.”

Devon Conway played six games in the T20 World Cup and scored 129 runs at an average of 32.25 powered by a strike rate of 108.40. New Zealand, who finished second in Group 2, pulled off a thrilling win against England to book their place in the final. He was the fourth top run getter for New Zealand in their World Cup campaign.

Tim Siefert is a front runner to replace Conway as it would help Kiwis have the services of Glenn Phillips in the outfield. Siefert has been a part of Blackcaps top order plans in a rundown to the T20 World Cup!