New Zealand opener Devon Conway has been ruled out of the fourth T20I of the ongoing series against Pakistan after testing positive for COVID-19 on Friday, January 19.
This is the second instance of COVID-19 in New Zealand camp. Spinner Mitchell Santner was ruled out of the first T20I against Men in Green after he was diagnosed with infection.
In a statement released by New Zealand on its X handle (formerly Twitter) said that Conway and bowling coach Andre Adams have been infected with COVID-19. Devon Conway was found on Thursday and Chad Bowes has been added to the squad as a cover for New Zealand opener.
"Conway has been in isolation at the team’s Christchurch hotel after testing positive yesterday. Canterbury Kings batsman Chad Bowes will join the squad today as cover" NZC said in a social media statement
"Bowling coach Andre Adams has also tested positive for COVID and will also remain at the team’s hotel. Canterbury Men’s Development Coach Brendon Donkers will join the team for today’s match to help out in Adams’ place," statement added.
Meanwhile, New Zealand are without skipper Kane Williamson as he has been ruled out of the remaining T20Is in the ongoing series after suffering hamstring injury during the 2nd T20I.
New Zealand won the toss and opt to bowl first
New Zealand has yet again won the toss and stand-in skipper Tim Southee decided to bowl first against Pakistan. Kiwis brought in Will Young by replacing Ish Sodhi, while Tim Seifert will open alongside Finn Allen in batting.
New Zealand have an unassailable 3-0 lead against Pakistan. In the series Opener, the Kiwis won by 46 runs, followed by victories by margins of 21 and 45 runs in the second and third T20Is, respectively.
In all three matches, New Zealand posted a total of 190 runs but Pakistan succumbed to pressure in crucial situations, thus failing to chase the target.
New Zealand will look to clean sweep Pakistan in the ongoing five-match T20I series.
