The star New Zealand wicketkeeper batter Tom Latham will miss the upcoming Pakistan ODI series after injuring his hand during a training session. Henry Nicholls will replace him in the team.
Tom was supposed to captain the team against Pakistan in the ODI series in place of Mitchell Santer. Santner is playing in the IPL. Now, the T20I captain of New Zealand, Micheal Bracewell, will captain the ODI side in the absence of Tom.
Coming back to Latham’s injury, he sustained a hand fracture while batting in the nets earlier this week. The fracture has been confirmed with an X-ray. New Zealand Cricket revealed that he will have to wear a cast and undergo at least four weeks of rest and rehabilitation.
Nicholls, the player replacing Tom in the team, has already played 78 ODIs for New Zealand. He has been in the form of his life in domestic cricket and scored five fifties in six innings. He was also recovering from the calf strain that kept him out for much of the season.
Will Young is also set to miss the second and third ODI because he awaits the birth of his first child. However, he will play in the first match and then will be replaced by Rhys Mariu.
New Zealand coach Gary Stead is confident that the new players will grab the opportunity with both hands. He believes that it’s their time to step up for their country. Have a look at what he had to say about the upcoming series.
“We’ve had to be flexible this tour with numerous players unavailable for different reasons,” Stead said. “What it does do is offer opportunities to other players and it’s nice to introduce Rhys into the environment for the first time, as well as welcome back Henry.
“Henry’s been in good form since returning from his three-month injury lay-off and he’ll add valuable skills and experience to the team.
“It’s obviously disappointing to lose Tom as captain on the eve of the series and we wish him a speedy recovery. The side is in safe hands with Michael who’s done a great job through the T20I series.
“Finally, we wish Will and his wife Elise all the best next week as they await their first child which is such a special and important time for them.”
