New Zealand batter Devon Conway has returned home to welcome the arrival of his second child with his wife, Kim. He is making a 37,000-kilometre round trip due to the gap between the first and second Test matches against England.
According to Cricket New Zealand, Conway will spend time with his family before heading back to the UK for the second Test at The Oval, starting June 17. The 34-year-old is not expected to miss any matches in the three-test series, so no replacements have been announced.
“BLACKCAPS batter Devon Conway has briefly returned home to New Zealand to welcome the birth of his second child. Conway will spend some time at home with family before flying back to London ahead of the second Test against England at The Oval, starting Wednesday 17 Jun,” an official statement from New Zealand Cricket said, via ESPNcricinfo.
New Zealand enters the second Test after losing the first match by 115 runs to England at Lord’s, which finished in less than four days. In that match, Conway scored 41 runs in the second innings, making him the team’s second-highest scorer, just behind Glenn Phillips, who made 44 not out.
Following the conclusion of the First Test, New Zealand players have received time off from training. The team is set to resume training on Friday, followed by another day off on Saturday, with three consecutive days of preparation leading up to the second Test on Wednesday.
Although New Zealand lost the first match, England has faced its own issues. Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson were involved in a nightclub incident early Monday morning, leading to their removal from the squad for the second Test. Joe Root has been named the interim captain in Stokes’ absence.