NZ v Eng 2024-25: Devon Conway to miss third Test due to birth of first child

New Zealand coach Gary Stead said the team supported Conway’s decision.

“Family comes first in this environment and we are all very excited for Dev and his wife Kim to welcome their first child,” Stead said.

“Mark was with the Test team in India recently and returned to the Plunket Shield with an impressive score of 276, so it’s a good time for him to join us.”

Young was the unfortunate collateral of Kane Williamson’s return from the hamstring injury that ruled him out of the India series. Williamson has continued where he left off, with two half-centuries as the team’s leading run-scorer at 195 at 48.75.

However, the rest of the lineup was poor, particularly Conway. A five-ball duck on Sunday reduced the left-handers’ series average to 5.25.

Speaking after the defeat at Basin Reserve, Black Caps captain Tom Latham was coy about further changes for Friday’s match at Seddon Park. The team will reconvene in Hamilton on Wednesday ahead of Friday’s game, and Latham is keen to assess the conditions at Seddon Park before deciding on a different XI balance as it has not changed in the first two Tests.