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Tim Southee’s dislocated thumb is still sore and
scarred, but he has started to bowl and build up his bowling loads, which gives
hope that he can make a full recovery in time for the World Cup. On September
15, while playing in an ODI against England, Southee dislocated his thumb; as a
result, he now has a plate and several screws in his hand.
“It’s still a bit tender where obviously there’s
a bit of scarring and a bit of numbness around where the plate is,”
Southee said upon arrival in Ahmedabad, two days before New Zealand’s
tournament opener against England. “So I guess it’s just [about] getting
used to that. And getting back into some bowling. Haven’t done a lot of bowling
over the last couple of weeks, so it’s about getting your loads back up as well
as managing the thumb.”
The outlook wasn’t always this optimistic. “It’s
been a crazy couple of weeks,” Southee said. “A bit of a race against
time to get here, but managed to get here and it’s a great place to come. It’s
an awesome place to come and play cricket, let alone being a World Cup.
“[The injury was] something new. Haven’t done an
injury like this before. I guess when something like that happens so close to a
world event, your mind starts to drift towards that. With the limited time we
had, I guess sitting down and working out the fastest recovery time, and the
route back was to chuck some screws in it and a plate and hope for the best.
Everyone I’ve dealt with and the process has been brilliant to get me to this
stage. So fingers crossed we can carry on the recovery process and be right in
time.”
The core of the team, who are currently hurt and
bruised, may even become a little emotional as they consider the triumphs and
tragedies of their joint efforts as they seek to advance farther. With Southee,
Kane Williamson and Trent Boult experienced the heartache of 2015 and 2019, as
well as some pleasant experiences, such as the first World Test Championship
final.
“Obviously two very good mates and guys I’ve
played a lot of cricket with. Not only for New Zealand, but going back through
age-group cricket, domestically for Northern Districts as well,” Southee
said. “So I think also two of our greatest, greatest players to have
played the game. So it’s been a special, I guess 10-12…how many [ever] years
it’s been, to play alongside those guys and see [them] grow from kids into two
of New Zealand’s greats.”