New Zealand are set to face a significant challenge as they approach their World Cup opener against England. Already grappling with the absence of their regular captain Kane Williamson, New Zealand's woes have intensified with key bowler Tim Southee being ruled out due to a thumb injury.
Southee, a pivotal figure in the New Zealand bowling lineup, had undergone surgery last month for a fractured right thumb. This injury occurred during a catch attempt off Joe Root's shot at Lord's in a series which saw the Kiwis trailing 1-3.
The stand-in captain, Tom Latham, updated fans on Southee's health, indicating his recovery is on track, albeit not swift enough for the forthcoming match.
"Obviously no Kane and no Tim as well. He's unavailable for selection just in terms of what happened to his thumb a couple of weeks ago, but he's recovering nicely," Latham told reporters on the eve of the tournament opener.
"I think he's nearly two weeks post-surgery so fingers crossed he can keep recovering. It's a bit of a day-by-day process with him in terms of what that looks like too. But fingers crossed he'll be available sooner rather than later as well," Latham said.
Adding to the Kiwi’s list of concerns is Williamson's recent surgery for a torn anterior cruciate ligament back in April. Though he has yet to return to mainstream matches, the skipper did make an appearance in the World Cup warm-up games.
However, Latham remains optimistic. He emphasized that past series outcomes and memories from the previous World Cup final will not influence their mindset against the reigning champions, England.
"I don't think it has any bearing on the next game. It's about turning up on that specific day and trying to play your best brand of cricket. If we do that and we play to the best of our ability, then we can beat anyone in the world," Latham continued
"It's going to be a great opportunity tomorrow for us to come up against one of the best teams in the world at the moment. Conditions are completely different to what we played over in England," he added.
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