Tim Southee requires surgery on an injured thumb. Photo: Photosport
Tim Southee will have surgery on Thursday on the thumb he dislocated and fractured in the Black Caps final ODI against England.
A decision on the senior pace bowler's availability for the upcoming Cricket World Cup in India will be made early next week once the results of the surgery are known.
Black Caps coach Gary Stead remained hopeful Southee could recover in time to be available for the tournament.
"We've got our fingers crossed the surgery goes well for Tim," Stead said.
"He'll have some pins or screws inserted in his right thumb and, providing the procedure is a success, it will be a matter of ensuring Tim can tolerate the pain and manage the actual wound when returning to train and play.
"Our opening game of the World Cup against England is not until Thursday October 5 in Ahmedabad, so that would be our logical target in terms of his availability.
"Tim's obviously a hugely experienced and important figure in our team and we want to give him every chance to be part of this World Cup campaign."
The Black Caps will play two tournament warm-up matches starting with Pakistan in Hyderabad on 29 September, followed by a meeting with South Africa in Trivandrum on 2 October.
The New Zealand-based World Cup players not on the current tour of Bangladesh will depart to India from Tuesday.