London, May 24: Wicketkeeper-batsman Tom Latham will miss New Zealand's World Cup warm-up matches against India and West Indies due to injury, skipper Kane Williamson has confirmed. Earlier this month, Latham picked up an injury to his finger during a match against an Australia XI, prior to flying out to England & Wales for the World Cup.
It was initially expected that he would be available to play in the second warm-up game against West Indies on May 28. But on Thursday, Williamson confirmed that the wicketkeeper-batsman will not be available for both the practice games. Schedule of Team New Zealand at ICC Cricket World Cup 2019: List of NZ Team’s Matches, Time Table, Date, Venue and Squad Details.
"Tom won't be available for the first two warm-up games," cricketworldcup.com quoted Williamson as saying at the Captains' Day where captains from all 10 competing nations congregated for an open press conference. "We are hoping he progresses nice and quickly and we will have to address it as the days go by," he added. ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Schedule in PDF: Ticket Prices, Dates, Venue Details & Timetable Available for Download Online.
It is also not clear whether the left-handed batsman would be available for the New Zealand's opening match at the World Cup against Sri Lanka on June 1. Uncapped back-up keeper Tom Blundell is likely to replace him.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 24, 2019 10:39 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).