Tim Southee fractures his right thumb bone.

Tim Southee cracked a bone in his right thumb during fielding in the fourth One-Day International match against England at Lord’s on Friday, casting doubt on his fitness to play in the forthcoming World Cup in India.

In the 14th over of England’s batting, Tim Southee hurt himself while attempting to catch Joe Root. Trent Boult took him off the pitch and replaced him. Later in the day, he did not come back to bat.

“A timeline for his recovery will be established tomorrow when he undergoes further assessment,” New Zealand Cricket said.

It’s not ideal for Timmy, continued Tom Latham, the series’ acting captain for New Zealand. He’s a huge leader in the group, and when we go home, we’ll examine him in the days that follow to see how serious it is. However, we do have some time before those first few games, so we’ll learn more in the days that follow.

He’s a really resilient character, so I know he’ll do every effort to board the plane and be prepared for the opening match. But it’s difficult to predict at this point how long it will take. We’ll be able to gauge the severity of the situation once he returns home and has a couple more scans.

By losing the fourth ODI by 100 runs, New Zealand has already handed the hosts a 3-1 series lead after five games. Along with Trent Boult, Matt Henry, and Lockie Ferguson, Southee is one of the four frontline pacers included in New Zealand’s squad for the 2018 World Cup.

On October 5 in Ahmedabad, New Zealand’s World Cup campaign gets underway against the reigning champions England.