New Zealand’s esteemed captain, Kane Williamson, is set to miss multiple upcoming matches in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 due to an unfortunate thumb injury. An X-ray has confirmed an “undisplaced fracture” in his left thumb, dimming hopes for his much-anticipated return to international cricket.
This injury occurred during New Zealand’s clash with Bangladesh in Chennai on Friday, October 13, when Williamson was hit by a throw while sprinting between the wickets. It’s an unfortunate setback for him as he was in the process of making a determined comeback following his recovery from an ACL injury.
Despite this setback, Williamson remains a crucial part of the New Zealand World Cup squad, and there is optimism that he may return during the critical stages of the league phase next month. To fill the void during his absence, Tom Blundell has been brought in, though his official inclusion in the squad is yet to be confirmed.
Gary Stead, New Zealand’s head coach, expressed sympathy for Williamson and emphasized the importance of his potential return to the tournament. Stead noted that Williamson’s injury is disappointing but gave hope that with some rest and rehabilitation, he might feature later in the pool play.
Tom Blundell’s inclusion as a cover player is due to his versatility as a batter and his ability to serve as a backup wicket-keeper. Stead mentioned that Blundell’s performance on tours to Pakistan and Bangladesh has been impressive.
Unfortunately, Henry Nicholls, another candidate for the role, is unavailable due to a mild side strain. Despite these challenges, New Zealand leads the points table with a perfect record of three wins in as many games, showing their determination and commitment to excel in the ODI World Cup.
Their next challenge will be against Afghanistan, where their resilience will be tested as they aim for excellence on this grand stage.
]]>Kane Williamson injured his anterior cruciate ligament which made him miss the rest of the season of IPL and all the international matches for New Zealand. Previously, Kane Williamson was declared fit, and was named in the 15-man squad for the World Cup, but has now been ruled out of the first match of the World Cup against England on 5 October in Ahmedabad.
“Right from the start we’ve taken a long-term view on Kane’s return to play. His recovery is tracking well and it’s now a matter of making sure he can cope with the rigours and intensity of international cricket. We’ll continue to take a day-by-day approach to Kane’s rehabilitation and certainly won’t be putting any pressure on him to return before he is ready,” said Gary Stead, New Zealand’s head coach.
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“There is a strong desire to be involved as much as I can. Basically, it’s just wanting to progress what I am doing now – the running, the fielding, time in the middle with the bat. Although it’s going well, you still have days that vary a little bit. So it’s working through those warm-up games to get as much out of it as I can, and as a team, without bothering it too much. Although the load is going to keep increasing, so there is a little bit of an unknown. But it has felt pretty good really in the last few weeks”, said Kane Williamson.
“We will definitely consider some of that. Where I field is usually at mid-off, which will probably remain the case. Probably slightly better suited to it than square of the wicket. Potentially some slip, but I won’t be standing there if we don’t require one,” added Kane Williamson.
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