Kane Williamson ruled out of New Zealand's World Cup opener

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson is ruled out of opening clash against England in the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023.

Sep 29, 2023 - 18:25 Updated: Sep 29, 2023 - 22:51

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Kane Williamson ruled out of New Zealand's World Cup opener

Kane Williamson has not yet fully recovered from his ACL injury, which he sustained during the IPL. Since then, the 33-year-old has not participated in a competitive match and his participation in the impending ODI World Cup was uncertain. However, he has trained extremely hard and invested a great deal of time in his recuperation, and as a result, he qualified for the tournament.

Williamson is extremely likely to miss New Zealand's inaugural match against England on October 5 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. He will bat in two of the warm-up matches against Pakistan and South Africa, but he is unable to field for 50 overs due to an injury. Gary Stead, the head coach, stated that the plan for monitoring Kane's daily progress remains unchanged. He added that there is no pressure on the player and that he is expected to recover shortly.

"We have adopted a long-term perspective on Kane's return to play from the beginning. It is now a matter of ensuring that he can handle the rigors and intensity of international cricket as he recovers. The New Zealand Herald quoted Stead as saying, "We will continue to take a day-by-day approach to Kane's rehabilitation and will not put any pressure on him to return before he is ready."

Injury concerns for New Zealand ahead of World Cup 2023

Currently, there are no updates regarding Tim Southee's injury. Due to a finger injury, the ace pacer was on the precipice of missing the tournament, but made the squad at the eleventh hour. However, New Zealand Cricket has not provided many details regarding the cricketer's recovery, and it is unknown if he will miss the first pair of games.

Kyle Jamieson, on the other hand, has been sent in case Southee or one of the pacers is ruled out at the last minute. The Black Caps are expected to give their all to win their first-ever ODI World Cup, particularly after finishing second in their previous two attempts.