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In a surprising turn of events, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has officially announced that their regular skipper Kane Williamson will not be taking the field in the opening fixture of the ODI World Cup 2023. It is worth mentioning that the Blackcaps are scheduled to take on defending champions England in the tournament opener on October 5.
The decision to rule out Williamson from the first game has been made to allow him the necessary time to recover from a troublesome knee injury that he sustained earlier this year while playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. The same was confirmed by NZC in their press release.
Kane Williamson fitness update
In their official statement, NZC not only informed about Williamson’s unavailability but also gave an update regarding his fitness, stating that he is yet to fully recover from the knee injury and is under rehabilitation.
“BLACKCAPS captain Kane Williamson will miss the opening game of the ICC Cricket World Cup against England, as he continues to progress his knee rehabilitation,” stated NZC.
Also READ: Here are complete squads of all 10 teams for ODI World Cup 2023
New Zealand head coach Gary Stead talks about Williamson’s unavailability
New Zealand’s head coach, Gary Stead, also reflected on NZC’s decision and emphasized the importance of a long-term perspective to it. He explained that although the team is determined to get Williamson fit shortly, they also want to make sure not to pressurize him.
“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. 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.” said Stead.
The road ahead for Williamson
While Williamson may be absent from the opening game, fans can take solace in the fact that he will feature as a batter in the warm-up game against Pakistan in Hyderabad on September 29. This move allows him to get some valuable match practice without overexerting himself. Meanwhile, Tom Latham will take on the captaincy role for the Blackcaps during their first warm-up game against in Williamson’s absence.
