New Zealand opener Devon Conway has been ruled out of the first one-day international against India after suffering a concussion in a collision with team-mate Matt Henry during a training session at Eden Park in Auckland on Tuesday.
Conway’s absence matters because it leaves New Zealand without a third front-line batter for the series opener, after Mark Chapman and Rachin Ravindra were already ruled out of the five-match series through injury, and it forces a late change at the top of the order against a confident India side.
New Zealand Cricket said Conway and Henry collided while attempting a catch during training at Eden Park on Tuesday. Both players were treated by medical staff on site and underwent head injury assessments, according to the board’s statement.
Conway was then taken to hospital for further examination, which confirmed a concussion, New Zealand Cricket said. The concussion has ruled him out of the first one-day international against India on Wednesday, November 4, at Eden Park.
Henry, by contrast, remains in consideration for selection at this stage, the International Cricket Council reported, and captain Mitchell Santner told reporters the fast bowler seemed okay after his own concussion assessment. Henry had already been returning from a low-grade tear in his right quadriceps, which kept him out of the final three Twenty20 internationals against India.
Santner said head injuries had to be treated with particular care. “It’s one of those ones you want to take very seriously, head knocks,” he told reporters on the eve of the match. “We have a backup batter in line just in case, but we’ll wait and see how he pulls up. But it didn’t look great to be fair.”
Santner indicated that Tim Seifert, the back-up batter in the squad, was the likely direct replacement. “I guess Seifert is the back-up batter in our squad, so it’ll probably be a direct swap if Dev’s unavailable,” he said. Seifert had originally been selected only for the final two one-day internationals before being added to the full series squad on Monday.
Chapman and Ravindra were already ruled out of the series before Conway’s injury. Chapman is recovering from a hamstring injury, while Ravindra is still working his way back from a shoulder injury, and both absences had already forced head coach Rob Walter to reshape the squad for the India series.
India arrive for the one-day series after winning the preceding five-match Twenty20 series 3-2, according to IANS. The first one-day international will be played at Eden Park in Auckland on Wednesday, November 4, with four further matches to follow.
What is confirmed is Conway’s concussion, his absence from the first match, and Henry’s continued availability for selection at this stage. What is not yet known is how long Conway will be sidelined, as New Zealand Cricket said both players will continue to be monitored and their involvement in the rest of the series will be updated in due course.
