ODI World Cup 2023: Tim Southee confirmed to fly to India, Kyle Jamieson to join for training

Tim Southee. (Photo Source: Twitter)

In a significant development just days ahead of the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, New Zealand’s senior pacer Tim Southee has been given the green light to join the squad in India. Southee’s inclusion comes as a massive relief for the Blackcaps, who have been grappling with multiple injury concerns in the lead-up to the tournament.

Following a dislocated and fractured thumb suffered during the England tour, Southee opted to undergo surgery to rectify the injury. This decision cast doubt over his availability for the World Cup and raised concerns within the team. However, Southee’s recovery has been progressing well, and he is now set to rejoin his teammates for the marquee event in India.

This positive news came in after New Zealand’s impressive 2-0 series victory over Bangladesh. The leadership reins will be in the capable hands of Kane Williamson, who is also set to make his return after a prolonged injury layoff. Williamson’s presence will undoubtedly boost the team’s morale and strengthen their prospects at the World Cup.

While Southee continues to make strides in his recovery, the Kiwis have taken a cautious approach as they have called up pace-bowler Kyle Jamieson to join the World Cup squad in India this week for training. However, he will not be an official part of the World Cup squad and will not be available for the warm-up matches.

New Zealand are fully immersed in their preparations, as they have scheduled warm-up matches against Pakistan and South Africa before their tournament opener against England on October 5. It will be intriguing to see if the Kiwis can replicate their outstanding performance from the 2015 and 2019 World Cups, where they reached the finals on both occasions.

New Zealand’s ODI World Cup squad:

Kane Williamson (c),Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young