New Zealand opener Devon Conway has to give the third Test against England a miss due to the arrival of his baby. Conway is eager to welcome his first child with his wife and so, will not be accompanying the squad. The third Test against England will host the three-match series at Wellington itself, where New Zealand succumbed to an embarrassing loss by 323 runs against England. Mark Chapman has been called up as a replacement for Conway.
“Squad Update | Devon Conway will miss the third Tegel Test against England, as he awaits the birth of his first child in Wellington this week. He will be replaced in the Test squad by @aucklandcricket Aces batter Mark Chapman, who will join-up with the team in Hamilton ahead of Saturday’s third and final Tegel Test.” Gary Stead said that the team supported the decision by Conway. The BLACKCAPS arrive in Hamilton on Wednesday.
New Zealand coach Gary Stead also supported the decision made by Conway to be with his family during this time.
“Family comes first in this environment and we’re all really excited for Dev and his wife Kim to welcome their first child,” said Stead.
“Mark was with the Test squad in India recently and returned to the Plunket Shield by scoring an impressive 276 – so it’s a good time for him to be joining us.”
In the absence of Devon Conway, Will Young is expected to take his place in the playing XI. Young was named Player of the Series during New Zealand’s historic tour of India last month, scoring 244 runs at an average of 48.40. However, he has had to sit out for the past couple of weeks as England cruised to an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the series.
Young has missed out on a place because Kane Williamson returned from a hamstring injury that had kept him out of the India series. Williamson is in good form since he came back. He scored two half-centuries and tops the chart of the team in the batting department with 195 runs at an average of 48.75.
Otherwise, the batting unit of New Zealand has majorly failed with Conway being one of the most underperforming cricketers. His five-ball duck on Sunday brought his average in the series down to a mere 5.25.
