Even before the start of the World Cup, New Zealand have a big injury concerns on their hands as their wicketkeeper-batsman Tom Latham is ruled out of both of the Black Caps warm-up matches. The left-handed batsman injured his left middle finger during the final match of the three-match warm-up series against Australia.
Before the team’s arrival in England New Zealand Cricket selector Gavin Larsen had said the decision on Latham’s participation in the warm-up games would be taken close to the fixtures.
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“Whether he takes his place in those warmup games we’ll take a day by day approach on that, which will be down to the medical guys and Gary [Stead] and support staff when they’re over there,” he had told Trackside Radio.
It was initially thought that he would be sufficiently fit to return to the New Zealand eleven for the second warm-up match, against West Indies on May 28 after missing the game against India three days earlier. However, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has revealed that Latham will miss both the games.
“Tom won’t be available for the first two warm-up games. We are hoping he progresses nice and quickly and we will have to address it as the days go by,” Williamson told Sky Sports.
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With Latham set to miss the games, Tom Blundell looks set to don the wicketkeeping gloves. New Zealand begin their Cricket World Cup campaign on June 1 when they play Sri Lanka.
New Zealand’s World Cup squad:
Kane Williamson (capt), Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor