ICC World Cup 2023: New Zealand Head Coach Gary Stead Provides Update On Mitchell Santner's Availability For Upcoming WC

New Zealand head coach Gary Stead provided an update on the knee injury of spin bowling all-rounder Mitchell Santner, stating that a full scan yielded positive results. Gary Stead expressed confidence in Mitchell Santner’s availability for the much-awaited ODI World Cup 2023.

Mitchell Santner suffered a knee injury while fielding in the second ODI against England in the current series. The left-arm spinner was unavailable for the third ODI match. In his absence, Glenn Phillips and Rachin Ravindra shared spin bowling duties at The Oval on Wednesday.

Mitchell Satner Had A Full Scan On His Knee – Gary Stead

Gary Stead highlighted that Mitchell Santner‘s injury appears to be a joint problem and nothing more serious, even though there is notable swelling around the knee.

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“Mitch had a full scan on his knee, which he landed on when he took that catch in the last game at the Ageas Bowl. It’s come back positively, which is good for us. He’s just got quite a bit of swelling around the knee still, which they think is a joint problem. It’s nothing more than that,” Gary Stead said.

Mitchell Satner and Ish Shodi are the two spinners in New Zealand’s 15-member provisional squad for the upcoming World Cup in India. Shodi, who isn’t part of the series, is currently taking a rest at home before the marquee tournament.

We Didn’t Put Our Best Foot Forward – Gary Stead

Gary Stead expressed disappointment with the players’ performance in the recent game. He stated that they made a few changes to the lineup due to the busy schedule and the need to keep players fit for the upcoming World Cup.

“All seven games have been a bit like that, haven’t they? We were just saying, it would be nice to actually have a close one so we can see both teams under pressure. It was disappointing that we didn’t put our best foot forward tonight but they played very well. Ben Stokes played an amazing innings.”

“Both teams have taken the opportunity to change their line-ups a little bit. With such a congested period of games in a short period of time, we’re certainly mindful of getting people to the World Cup without significant injury or risk.”