James Neesham undergoes surgery for compound dislocation on left ring finger

New Zealand allrounder James Neesham has undergone surgery for a compound dislocation on his left ring finger. Cricket Wellington said on Twitter that Neesham has a splint on, and that he will be reviewed by a hand specialist in a week. Neesham had sustained the injury during Wellington Firebirds' game against Canterbury Kings on January 16. He is expected to return to action for the back end of the ongoing Super Smash tournament, where Wellington are currently leading the table.

Neesham had featured in five of his team's six matches thus far, scoring 65 runs and taking eight wickets - the joint-most - at an average of 16.25. On Saturday against Canterbury, he top-scored with 49 to lead Wellington to 154 for 7. However, he was unable to close out the match with the ball, conceding 30 runs from 3.4 overs as Wellington suffered their first loss of the season. He underwent surgery later on Saturday night.

Neesham, who has mostly been restricted to T20 cricket in recent months, had struggled for form during the IPL in the UAE, managing just 19 runs and two wickets from five matches for Kings XI Punjab, who finished sixth on the table and missed out on the playoffs for the sixth straight year.

Despite that lean run, Neesham was included in the T20I squad for the home series against West Indies and Pakistan. He made a decisive contribution in the first T20I against West Indies at Eden Park, stroking an unbeaten 24-ball 48 - his highest T20I score - to take New Zealand to victory in a rain-affected chase.