Tim Southee's hopes of representing New Zealand at a fourth one-day international World Cup next month are still alive.
The Blackcaps were left sweating when the veteran seamer was forced to leave the field during last week's fourth ODI against England, after a misfield in the slips left him with a dislocated and fractured bone in his right hand.
On Wednesday, the Blackcaps confirmed Southee will undergo surgery to repair his broken thumb in the hope he'll be available for the opener against England on October 6.
A final decision will be made next week and will rest on the success of the surgery, says Stead.
"We've got our fingers crossed the surgery goes well for Tim," Stead said.
"He'll have some pins or screws inserted in his right thumb and, providing the procedure is a success, it will be a matter of ensuring Tim can tolerate the pain and manage the actual wound when returning to train and play.
"Our opening game of the World Cup against England is not until Thursday October 5 in Ahmedabad, so that would be our logical target in terms of his availability.
Southee joins Kane Williamson at the top of the Blackcaps' injury concerns. Williamson defied all expectations to recover from a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament and join the 15-man squad for the Cup but isn't expected to feature until later in the tournament.
"Tim’s obviously a hugely experienced and important figure in our team and we want to give him every chance to be part of this World Cup campaign."
The Blackcaps will play the first of three ODIs against Bangladesh on Thursday night (NZ time).
Their final tournament warm-up matches starting with Pakistan in Hyderabad on September 29, followed by a meeting with South Africa in Trivandrum on October 2.
