Warwickshire: New Zealand captain Tom Latham’s arrival delayed by injury

Warwickshire have been hit by a pre-season injury issue that will delay main overseas signing Tom Latham’s arrival at Edgbaston.

Wicketkeeper Latham, 32, has suffered a broken finger while practising in the nets with his domestic club side Canterbury before this week’s Plunket Shield game in Wellington.

The New Zealand Test captain was, in any case, already scheduled to miss the Bears’ opening game against Sussex, starting at Edgbaston next Friday (5 April).

But he may now be sidelined for a few more games on top of that.

“Tom was always missing the first game,” Bears captain Alex Davies told BBC Sport. “But he’s now done a bit of damage to his hand, so his arrival is put back a few weeks.

“It was always going to be me and Rob Yates opening, with Tom fitting in at three. Rob’s established himself at the top of the order now and has had England Lions recognition on the back of it.”

As to who will keep wicket in the Championship for the Bears this summer, following the premature retirement of Michael Burgess over the winter, Davies admits he, Latham and highly-rated 20-year-old Kai Smith, yet to make his Bears first team debut, are all in the frame.

“We haven’t yet made that call,” said Davies. “Obviously I did it for years with Lancashire, but Tom [Latham] is also an option, when he’s fit.

“And we’ve got Kai Smith, who’s going be an absolute superstar. He just needs an opportunity to show what he can do.”