On Monday (December 9), New Zealand Cricket announced that opening batter Devon Conway would miss the third and final Test of their ongoing home series against England, as he and his wife await the birth of their first child in Wellington.
New Zealand have already lost the series, following defeats by eight wickets and 323 runs in Christchurch and Wellington respectively, with Conway's scores reading 2, 8, 11 and 0 thus far. The third Test is set to start on December 14 at Seddon Park in Hamilton.
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This calendar year has been a turbulent one for Conway on a personal and professional level. In February, Kim Watson, the batter's wife, took to Instagram to reveal the couple had lost their unborn child to a miscarriage. In 18 Test innings in 2024, Conway has scored 386 runs at an average of 21.4.
Earlier this year, Conway also opted for a casual playing contract with New Zealand Cricket, meaning he will be available for all of New Zealand's international matches in 2024/25 except for the six white-ball games against Sri Lanka in January, which clash with the SA20 franchise league. He is part of the Joburg Super Kings' squad in that competition.
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Mark Chapman named as Conway's replacement
The NZC named left-handed batter Mark Chapman as Conway's replacement in the squad for the third Test. Chapman has played 104 white-ball matches for the Black Caps, but is yet to make his Test debut. He was named in their squad for the recent tour of India as cover for Kane Williamson, but did not make it onto the field.
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Chapman is coming off a career-high score in first-class cricket, having scored 276 for Auckland against Canterbury in the 2024/25 Plunket Shield last month. He will join the team in Hamilton ahead of the third Test.
It remains to be seen whether Chapman will make the starting XI, as New Zealand have a readymade opener waiting in the wings, in the form of Will Young who won the Player of the Series award for his performance in their 3-0 whitewash of India in India.
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