New Zealand Captain Kane Williamson Suffers Fracture in Left Thumb; Tom Blundell Called In as Cover
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has suffered an undisplaced fracture in his left thumb, but the team is hopeful he will be fit in time for the back-end of the league stage in the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup. Wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell has been called up to the squad as cover.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has suffered a fracture in his left thumb, but the team is hopeful he will be fit in time for the back-end of the league stage in the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup. Wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell has been called up to the squad as cover.
Williamson suffered the injury while running between the wickets in New Zealand’s win over Bangladesh on Friday. He had to retire hurt after making a valiant 78 off 81 balls.
Head coach Gary Stead said he was hopeful Williamson would still play a part in the tournament.
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“Firstly, we’re all feeling for Kane to have this occur after all his hard work to return from his knee injury,” Stead said. “While it’s disappointing news, the initial diagnosis has given us some optimism he can still feature later in the pool play following a period of rest and rehabilitation. Kane is clearly a massive part of our side and a world class player and captain – so we’ll look to give him every opportunity we can to return in the tournament.”
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Stead added that wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell had been called up to the squad as cover for Williamson. Blundell has been with the one-day side on tours to Pakistan and Bangladesh and has performed well. He covers multiple positions in the batting order and his wicket-keeping skills are also an added bonus as a back-up.
New Zealand are on top of the table with six points from three wins in the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup. Their next game is on Wednesday against Afghanistan at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.