Mark Chapman joins the New Zealand team, and Will Young is expected to be called up to the starting lineup.
Due to the birth of his first child this week, Devon Conway will miss New Zealand’s third and final Test match against England.
In order to be with his family, the opener will stay in Wellington, where the Black Caps lost by 323 runs in the second Test match. Mark Chapman of the Auckland Aces was selected as a replacement.Gary Stead, coach of New Zealand, stated that the team agreed with Conway’s choice.”Family comes first in this environment and we’re all really excited for Dev and his wife Kim to welcome their first child,” Stead said.
“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.”Will Young, who was the player of the series on last month’s historic tour of India with 244 runs at 48.40 but was a spectator for the last two weeks as England swept to an unassailable 2-0 lead, is expected to start in Conway’s absence.
When Kane Williamson returned from the hamstring injury that kept him out of the India series, Young was the unlucky byproduct. With two half-centuries and 195 at 48.75, Williamson has continued to lead the squad in runs scored.The rest of the lineup, particularly Conway, has fallen short. A five-ball duck on Sunday reduced the left-handers’ series average to 5.25.
Following the loss at the Basin Reserve, Black Caps captain Tom Latham declined to make any further changes for Friday’s meeting at Seddon Park. The squad will meet in Hamilton on Wednesday ahead of Friday’s fixture, with Latham hoping to examine conditions at Seddon Park before deciding on a fresh balance of XIs after remaining unchanged for the first two Tests.The flat surfaces at the location may make left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner a viable option. Even though Tim Southee is the weakest home seamer with four wickets at 61.50, he should have his final goodbye at his home venue before retiring from Test cricket at the end of the series.
