Kane Williamson, the captain of the New Zealand cricket team, will be absent from his side’s upcoming World Cup 2023 match against the Netherlands, scheduled for Monday. This decision comes as Williamson continues his journey back to full fitness after suffering an ACL tear during the IPL earlier this year, according to head coach Gary Stead.
Williamson did participate in New Zealand’s Cricket World Cup warm-up matches against Pakistan and South Africa, where he scored 54 and 37 runs, respectively, before retiring out. However, he did not take the field due to his ongoing recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
Coach Stead provided an update, saying, “Kane’s been progressing very well. I think the fielding is still the element for him that he’s just got to get a little bit higher, and he gets a little bit more trust in his body. But he’s progressing really well, and we are pretty confident that he will be playing the third match for us.”
The 33-year-old skipper was absent from the tournament opener against England and is now targeting a return during New Zealand’s third match, scheduled against Bangladesh on October 13 in Chennai.
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“We’ve got another training session to get through today, so we’ll finalize the team (for the match against the Netherlands) once we’ve got through that training. But at this stage, with Kane, we are looking like the third game is when he will start the tournament,” Stead added.
While Kane Williamson continues his rehabilitation journey, New Zealand can take solace in the potential availability of fast bowlers Tim Southee and Lockie Ferguson as they seek to maintain their strong start in the group stage.
“Lockie Ferguson got through that training really well. So providing he’s cleared okay this morning, he will be available for this next game,” Stead confirmed.
“Tim Southee also got through the training really well. It was great to see him back at the bowling crease and also doing a little bit of fielding.”
“He will just get a final x-ray done this morning, and then we will make a call after that, but it’s all looking good for selection from now on and into the rest of the tournament,” he added.
As New Zealand prepares for their upcoming matches, they can expect the return of key players, providing a boost to their campaign in the Men’s ODI World Cup.
