We'll want to give Tim Southee every chance of proving his fitness: Gary Stead

With the ODI World Cup 2023 looming around the corner, the finalists of the 2019 edition, New Zealand, will be keen on putting forth their best performance and finally clinching the title after close finishes in the last two editions.

With the tournament all set to begin on October 5, the Black Caps suffered a major setback when veteran pacer Tim Southee sustained an injury. Southee broke a bone in his right thumb in the recently concluded fourth ODI of their series against England on September 15.

However, New Zealand are willing to give Southee every chance to recover in time for the World Cup. The side’s head coach, Gary Stead, took centre stage and opined that once they have a proper idea about the time frames, they will be able to make a decision. 

"We'll just need to understand the timeframes and what that looks like and once we have that information, we will then be able to move forward and make a decision," Gary Stead was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz. 

"We'll want to give Tim every chance of proving his fitness, there will be an element of the unknown being that it's a bone fracture, and at some stage, he will have to start catching balls and bowling again. The healing process in the next 10 to 12 days will be pretty important for him as well,"  Stead added.

New Zealand take on England in World Cup opener

Speaking of the ODI World Cup 2023, the tournament will begin on October 5, with England and New Zealand facing off against one another in the opener at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. 

Recently, England and New Zealand took on each other for a four-match ODI series in preparation for the World Cup. However, the Black Caps faced a hefty loss as England clinched the series 3-1. They will be keen on putting in a better performance against the defending champions in the World Cup opener.