Southee will have surgery of his dislocated thumb

Tim Southee will have surgery on his dislocated thumb on Thursday (September 21), but he will be available for the World Cup in India. A decision on his availability will be made next week once the findings of the surgery are known, according to an announcement from New Zealand Cricket (NZC).

On September 15, Southee cracked a bone in his right thumb while fielding in the fourth One-Day International against England at Lord's. He came home and sought advice from physicians, who suggested surgery.

"We're crossing our fingers that Tim's surgery goes well," head coach Gary Stead stated. "He'll have some pins or screws inserted in his right thumb, and assuming the procedure goes well, it'll be a matter of making sure Tim can tolerate the pain and manage the actual wound when he returns to train and play."

"Our first World Cup game against England isn't 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 a part of this World Cup campaign."

New Zealand will play three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) in Bangladesh beginning September 21 before World Cup warm-ups against Pakistan (September 29) and South Africa (October 2). On October 5, they will face reigning champions England in Ahmedabad.

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