New Zealand faced a massive blow when their captain Kane Williamson was ruled out of the World Cup due to injury. While attempting to stop a six in the IPL 2023 season opener in Ahmedabad, Williamson hurt his knee. In the game, the right-hander did not bat for the Gujarat Titans, and he was eventually disqualified from the tournament owing to surgery.
Kane Williamson to mentor the side
Kane Williamson, the captain of New Zealand’s white-ball squad, is unlikely to participate in the ODI World Cup later this year, but he may still go to India for the major tournament as a team consultant. Gary Stead, the head coach, said he would “absolutely” try to use the seasoned batter and limited-overs captain in a mentoring capacity. Williamson is receiving rehabilitation following successful surgery on his right knee’s anterior cruciate ligament.
“It’s still far too early to know. He’s had the operation and, to date, what we know, that’s been successful. So he is in the very, very early stages of his rehab programme,” Stead told reporters ahead of New Zealand’s five-match ODI series against Pakistan.
“It’s obviously pretty non-weight-bearing at this stage, and he’s in a brace. It’s really just meeting milestones as we go.”
Considering that the expected recovery time for an ACL tear is nine months, the injury has all but eliminated the Black Caps captain from the 50-over competition, which begins in October. Stead, however, maintains his optimism.
“Our line around Kane, at the moment, is still it’s unlikely that he will be available, but we certainly don’t want to rule out a person of his class and caliber, and the things he brings to this team, too early in case there is that chance still.”
With Kane Williamson ruled out and Ross Taylor injured, things are looking tough for the 2019 finalists. But they know how to play in big tournaments.
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