New Zealand wicketkeeper Devon Conway has been ruled out of the 2021 T20 World Cup final after breaking his right hand. The 30-year-old punched his bat in frustration after getting out for 46 in first semi-final against England in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
Conway was stumped by Jos Buttler off Liam Livingstone in the 14th over of second innings before his team successfully chased the set target of 167 with five wickets in hand and six balls to spare.
“He’s absolutely gutted to be ruled out like this at this time,” NZ head coach Gary Stead said in his statement.
“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 anyway he can for the remainder of the tour before he returns home to recover,” added Stead.
Conway will also miss the upcoming tour of India, starting with a three-match T20I series from November 17.
“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,” the Black Caps coach added further.
