Christchurch, Sep 20:  Experienced fast bowler Tim Southee will undergo surgery this Thursday on the thumb he dislocated and fractured in the fourth and final ODI against England, the New Zealand Cricket Board (NZC) said on Wednesday. The veteran seamer broke and dislocated his right thumb while attempting to take a catch during the fourth ODI against England last Friday. A decision on the senior pace-bowler’s availability for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup in India will be made early next week once the results of the surgery are known. Head coach Gary Stead remained hopeful Southee could recover in time to be available for the tournament. New Zealand Unveils Black ODI Jersey for ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

"We’ve got our fingers crossed the surgery goes well for Tim. He’ll have some pins or screws inserted in his right thumb and, providing the procedure is a success, it will be a matter of ensuring Tim can tolerate the pain and manage the actual wound when returning to train and play. "Our opening game of the World Cup against England is not until Thursday, October 5 in Ahmedabad, so that would be our logical target in terms of his availability. Tim’s obviously a hugely experienced and important figure in our team and we want to give him every chance to be part of this World Cup campaign." ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: 'One Last Dance' for International Cricket’s Fab Four- Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Joe Root and Kane Williamson.

After losing to England 3-1 in a four-match ODI series, New Zealand will now play three ODIs in Bangladesh starting September 21 before the BlackCaps' World Cup warm-up matches starting with Pakistan in Hyderabad on Friday, September 29, followed by a meeting with South Africa in Trivandrum on Monday, October 2. The New Zealand-based World Cup players not on the current tour of Bangladesh will depart to India from next Tuesday. New Zealand will open their campaign against defending champions England in what will be the re-match of the 2019 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 5.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 20, 2023 10:46 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).