Southee will get every chance of being fit and available, says Gary Stead

London, Sep 17 (IANS) New Zealand head coach Gary Stead came up with an update on star all-rounder Tim Southee's injury and stated the team will only make a decision after consulting the specialists back home.

Southee fractured his right thumb while fielding in the fourth One Day International (ODI) against England at Lords on September 15.

"We'll just need to understand the timeframes and what that looks like and once we have that information, we will then be able to move forward and make a decision," said Stead. "Until then, we can't make a call around the World Cup."

Stead expressed his concern about Southee’s fitness and made sure he would only be available being declared completely fit.

"We'll want to give Tim every chance of proving his fitness," said Stead.

"There will be an element of the unknown being that it's a bone fracture, and at some stage, he will have to start catching balls and bowling again.

"The healing process in the next 10 to 12 days will be pretty important for him as well."

After losing to England 3-1 in a four-match ODI series, New Zealand will now play three ODIs in Bangladesh starting September 21 before the World Cup warm-ups against Pakistan on September 29, and South Africa on October 2.

They open their campaign against defending champions England in Ahmedabad on October 5.