Big relief for New Zealand ahead of the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India, as their captain Kane Williamson is likely to make a comeback during the CWC warm-up matches.
Kane Williamson has been out of action since March 2023, when the star batter ruptured the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) in his right knee while fielding for the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL 2023.
After which, Kane underwent surgery and lengthy rehab, which helped him become available for the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023, where New Zealand will kickstart its campaign against defending champions England on October 5 in the tournament opener in Ahmedabad.
Well, Williamson revealed that he is planning to return from a long injury layoff during the upcoming 2023 World Cup warm-up matches this week.
As reported by PTI, Kane Williamson told reporters before leaving for India: “The plan is to be involved in the warm-up games. There is a strong desire to be involved as much as I can. Basically, it's just wanting to progress what I am doing now – the running, the fielding, time in the middle with the bat.”
Notably, New Zealand is scheduled to play World Cup 2023 warm-up matches against Pakistan and South Africa on September 29 in Hyderabad and October 2 in Thiruvananthapuram, respectively.
On being asked if he was still experiencing discomfort, New Zealand skipper said: “Not a huge amount. Although the load is going to keep increasing, so there is a little bit of an unknown. But it has felt pretty good really in the last few weeks.
Although it's going well, you still have days that vary a little bit. So, it's working through those warm-up games to get as much out of it as I can, and as a team, without bothering it too much.”
Williamson signed off by saying on the most difficult aspect of his recovery, “Not so much the sprinting, more the slowing actually. From sprinting, the braking, a little bit of a change of direction. It's all been part of the plan, and introducing it towards the end of recovery.”
(With PTI Inputs)
