T20 World Cup final: New Zealand suffer blow with Devon Conway ruled out

New Zealand will be without Devon Conway for Sunday’s T20 World Cup final with Australia after he suffered a broken hand.

Fresh from learning their opposition for the final after Australia stunned Pakistan in Dubai, Gary Stead suffered a major blow.

The 30-year-old sustained the injury when he struck his bat after being dismissed following a 38-ball 46 in Wednesday’s semi-final win over England.

An X-ray confirmed a break to his right hand fifth Metacarpal.

“He’s absolutely gutted to be ruled out... Devon is hugely passionate about playing for the Black Caps and no one is more disappointed at the moment than he is,” said Stead, adding that New Zealand will not call up a replacement.

“It looked a pretty innocuous reactionary incident on the field, but the blow obviously caught the bat between the glove padding and while it’s not the smartest thing he’s done there’s certainly an element of bad luck in the injury.”

In a further blow, the left-hander will also miss the tour to India starting later this month.

Additional reporting from PA and Reuters

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