The talented all-rounder was supposed to be playing for the New Zealand under-18 team at the national A tournament, which gets under way in Lincoln on Monday.
But the 17-year-old Otago Boys’ High School pupil fractured his ankle during the last over of Otago’s five-run win against Auckland in the final of the national under-19 tournament earlier this month.
"I was at mid-off and I was running back and got tangled up and rolled my ankle," Kindley said.
"I just heard the crack and knew it wasn’t good. I wanted to play on but I could tell it was broken."
He left the field with a few balls remaining and the final frantic exchanges of the match were a bit of a blur for the teenager. He was in a lot of pain.
The good news is the bone is healing well and he will probably avoid surgery, but the best-case scenario will still see him sidelined for 10 weeks.
Kindley was one of the stars at the under-19 tournament. He was the competition’s leading scorer with 306 runs at an average of 51. He also took seven wickets at 26 with his frugal off-breaks.
New Zealand under-18 plays Otago in the opening round and Kindley would have loved to play against his province.
While it is "gutting", he is familiar with that kind of disappointment. He broke a bone in his hand while playing in the under-19 tournament last year and missed out on playing in the under-17 tournament as a result, so he knows he can make his way back to form.
Kindley plays for North East Valley in the senior club competition and is a promising basketballer. But he started taking cricket a lot more seriously two years ago when he was named in a national under-17 tournament team.
"I realised then, especially since I’m not six foot five, that I should probably knuckle down at cricket."
It was around that time the top-order batsman decided to work on his off-breaks so he could have "another string to his bow".
The teenager has been identified as having the potential to play first-class cricket. He has trained with the Otago A side and has also worked with Volts strength and conditioning coach Adam Keen.
Kindley’s immediate goal is to make the New Zealand under-19 team next year, and playing for Otago is "hopefully" on the horizon as well.
