NZ vs IND: Devon Conway ruled out of first ODI after freak accident involving Matt Henry

New Zealand batter Devon Conway has been ruled out of the first ODI against India on Wednesday, November 4, at Eden Park, Auckland. Conway had a collision with fast bowler Matt Henry during New Zealand's pre-match training session at Eden Park on Tuesday.

The duo collided while attempting a catch and were immediately treated by medical staff on-site and received Head Injury Assessments. Conway was further taken to A&E for further examination, which confirmed a concussion, ruling the opener out of the first ODI.

He is the latest addition to New Zealand’s growing injury list, after batters Mark Chapman and Rachin Ravindra were ruled out of the ODI series due to hamstring and shoulder injuries, respectively. Tim Seifert, who was only named for the first two ODIs, was added to the squad for the entire series on Monday.

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner has confirmed that Henry is fine after going through concussion tests, but Conway will likely be replaced by Tim Seifert in the playing XI.

"Yeah, I guess he's [Seifert] the back-up batter in our squad. So it'll probably be a direct swap if Dev's unavailable, which is a shame. He [Conway] is obviously very good in one-day cricket and, you know, was biding his time in the T20 series. And, yeah, I guess another one of those freak accidents that happens,” Santner said in the pre-match press conference.

Santner on New Zealand's fielding

Santner also touched upon his team’s dismal fielding effort during the recently concluded T20I series. 

"We reviewed after the last game in Hamilton, [the] 3-2 loss. But it could have looked a lot different if we took those small moments. And I guess the guys did good fielding [practice]. I guess you're practising during the day where you're training; catching under lights is always a different task. And I guess with the wind in New Zealand, it can be quite challenging at times,” he added.

New Zealand managed to salvage some pride by winning the last two T20Is after losing the first three on the trot to finish the series with the scoreline of 3-2 in India’s favour.