Devon Conway ruled out of the ODI series with concussion, Nick Kelly called up

New Zealand opener Devon Conway will miss the rest of the ODI series against India after being diagnosed with concussion. Nick Kelly, who was first picked only for the last two matches, joins the squad straight away. There is better news on Matt Henry: the fast bowler has been cleared and is available for the 2nd ODI in Wellington on Saturday, 7 November.

What happened

Conway and Henry collided during a fielding drill at Eden Park on 3 November, the day before the series opener. Both were held back from the 1st ODI while they went through concussion checks. Henry has now passed his. Conway has not, and New Zealand Cricket has ruled him out of the remaining four games.

New Zealand already went into the series without Mark Chapman and Rachin Ravindra, so losing Conway takes another experienced top-order batter out of a side that is 1-0 down.

Nick Kelly joins early

Kelly, a 33-year-old left-handed batter, was already in the squad for the 4th and 5th ODIs. He now joins the team in Wellington for the 2nd ODI instead. He has played for New Zealand in both white-ball formats, including seven T20Is, and has a long record in domestic one-day cricket.

To make room, Kelly has been withdrawn from the New Zealand A squad playing India A, whose third unofficial Test starts in Lincoln on Saturday. Auckland batter Dale Phillips takes his place there.

Who opens for New Zealand?

Tim Seifert replaced Conway in the opener and was New Zealand's top scorer in Auckland, with 38 off 43 balls, so he is likely to keep his place. Nicholls and Kelly give New Zealand two more options if they want to change the top order after their total of 185 in the first game.

Henry's return should strengthen the attack. He would be the obvious player to come in for one of the seamers who played in Auckland.

What it means for your fantasy team

Take Conway out. If you have already saved a team for the 2nd ODI with Conway in it, replace him before the deadline.
Consider Henry. He is one of New Zealand's most reliable new-ball bowlers, and new-ball wickets are worth a lot of points in ODIs. Check that he is in the playing XI at the toss.
Seifert is a value pick. He bats at the top and keeps wicket, so he can score points for catches and stumpings as well as runs.
Wait for the lineups. With injuries and split squads on both sides, the XIs can change from game to game. Lineups are usually announced about 30 minutes before the start.

Remaining matches

All matches start at 3:00 pm local time, which is 7:30 am in India.

2nd ODI: Saturday, 7 November, Wellington
3rd ODI: Tuesday, 10 November, Seddon Park, Hamilton
4th ODI: Friday, 13 November, Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
5th ODI: Sunday, 15 November, Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui

India lead the series 1-0. Follow every match in the series on Fantasy11, where contests are free to enter.