Credit: Twitter
With the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023 around the corner, New Zealand face an injury scare as skipper Kane Williamson will miss the opening match of the competition as confirmed by the Kiwi coach, Gary Stead. Apart from that, Williamson will feature as a batsman only in Friday's warm-up game against Pakistan.
The 33-year-old Williamson suffered an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury to his right knee while fielding for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2023 and has been sidelined since March. The Kiwi skipper underwent surgery in April following the injury.
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Ahead of their warm-up game against Pakistan at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Friday, New Zealand coach Gary Stead said, "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."
Stead added, "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."
Williamson will play only as a batter against Pakistan in a warm-up game while Tom Latham has been named the captain for the 2019 World Cup runners-up in Kane's absence for the game against Pakistan in Hyderabad. Following their warm-up clash against Pakistan, New Zealand are scheduled to face South Africa in their second warm-up match at the Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on October 2.
