New Zealand’s left-handed opener Devon Conway will miss the third and final Test match of the inaugural Crowe-Thorpe Trophy. The opener will stay with his family in Wellington, where the second Test match of the series took place. Mark Chapman will fill in the space for Devon Conway in the Kiwi squad for the third test.
Will Young is expected to open the innings for New Zealand in Conway’s absence. Young was “player of the series” on New Zealand’s last month’s historic tour of India with 244 runs at 48.40. Despite this, he was a spectator for the last two weeks and watched England take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
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Young was the unlucky victim of Kane Williamson’s return from a hamstring injury that kept him out of the ongoing series. Williamson has continued where he left off, with two half-centuries and 195 runs at 48.75 to lead the squad. However, the rest of the Kiwi batting lineup, particularly Conway, has failed to impress. A five-ball duck on Sunday in Wellington lowered his series average to 5.25.
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Following the loss at the Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand captain Tom Latham was tight-lipped about potential changes for the third test at Seddon Park. The squad will meet in Hamilton on Wednesday ahead of Friday’s fixture, with Latham eager to assess the conditions at Seddon Park before deciding on a different balance of XIs after remaining unchanged for the first two Tests.