Conway to miss third Test due to the birth of his first child
New Zealand opener Devon Conway will not take part in the third Test against England in Hamilton following the birth of his first child
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South African-born Kiwi batter Devon Conway is all set to be excluded from the third Test between New Zealand and England scheduled to take place in Hamilton on 14 December. The opener will stay in Wellington where his side suffered a brutal 323-run drubbing in the second Test and will remain with his family to see the birth of his newborn child.
See also: Adelaide Test, Day 3: Australia bounce back in the series with 10-wicket win
Mark Chapman comes in as his replacement
Ahead of the third and final Test, New Zealand have roped in Auckland Aces batter Mark Chapman. The 30-year-old holds a healthy batting average of 46.14 in FC cricket with seven centuries under his belt. Champan is yet to make an appearance for New Zealand in the longest format.
New Zealand coach Gary Stead was in full support of Conway and expects him to make the most of his quality time with his family on this auspicious occasion. Moreover, he also heaped praise on Champan who has been in the midst of a remarkable run in the ongoing Plunket Shield tournament.
"Family comes first in this environment and we're all really excited for Dev and his wife Kim to welcome their first child. Mark was with the Test squad in India recently and returned to the Plunket Shield by scoring an impressive 276 - so it's a good time for him to be joining us."
An opportunity for Will Young to return to the fore
It came as a surprise to many when the New Zealand squad was announced prior to the Test series. The omission of Young who averaged nearly 49 and was adjudged Player of the Series in New Zealand's historic Test series win over India raised quite a few eyebrows.
Unfortunately, he had to make way for Williamson who fully regained his fitness right before the start of the home Test series. He made a resounding impact upon his return becoming the leading run scorer for his side with 195 runs to his name at an average of 48.75. New Zealand have already surrendered to England in this series by a margin of 0-2. The Black Caps will have one last chance to salvage their lost pride in the upcoming Hamilton Test which is expected to commence later this week.
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