New Zealand coach Gary Stead said the team supported Conway’s decision.
“Family comes first in this environment, and we are so excited for Dev and his wife Kim to welcome their first child,” Stead said.
“Mark was recently in India’s Test squad and returned to the Plunket Shield with an impressive 276 runs, so it is a great time for him to join us.”
Young was an unfortunate pawn for Kane Williamson, who returned from a hamstring injury that ruled him out of the India series. Williamson picked up where he left off, establishing himself as the team’s leading run-scorer with a half-century of 195 runs at 48.75.
However, the rest of the lineup, especially Conway, was found to be lacking. Sunday’s five-ball duck dropped the left-hander’s series average to 5.25.
Following the defeat at Basin Reserve, Black Caps skipper Tom Latham was coy about any further changes for Friday’s game at Seddon Park. The team is due to meet again in Hamilton on Wednesday, with Latham seeking to assess conditions before deciding on the rest of the XI, which remains unchanged from the first two Tests.
