Gary Stead, the head coach of New Zealand, has given captain Kane Williamson a two-week window to show his fitness before the World Cup roster is published.
Gary Stead, the head coach of New Zealand, has given captain Kane Williamson a two-week window to demonstrate his fitness before the ICC World Cup 2023 roster is published.
Due to a damaged ACL in his right knee injured in the opening game of IPL 2023, when he was playing for Gujarat Titans against Chennai Super Kings earlier this year. It was initially thought that the 33-year-old would not be part of the New Zealand side for the CWC2023.
Key Updates on Williamson’s Injury Return
Kane has recently made a lot of strides in his quest to represent his nation in the 50-over competition. To be ready for a crucial white-ball series against England that begins on August 30. Kane now starts hitting in the nets again with his mates ahead of the ICC World Cup 2023.
Kane Williamson knows that he still has “a little work to do” before he can play for New Zealand again in international cricket.
Williamson spoke from the training camp at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui and said, “Great to see some of the guys and some of the new faces too.”
Williamson’s recovery is going well. But New Zealand coach Gary Stead noted that he still needed to fulfil a few requirements before being allowed to play. About two weeks remain before the team announces the squad, and they intend to make the most of this time.
Williamson is back to hitting in the nets and is on the way to his recovery, which is encouraging. There is still a lot of work to do to make sure he gets the necessary level of fitness notwithstanding his improvement ahead of the ICC World Cup 2023.
“Kane’s working on a day-by-day, week-by-week process. We’ve been clear and careful with him that we don’t look too far ahead,” Stead said. “He’s progressed as we’ve hoped and possibly even better in some cases.
“But ACL injuries can be difficult, they’re different for every person. We’ll get the medical experts around Kane as much as we can to help us make that decision in three weeks.
Williamson’s Road to CWC2023
For the ICC World Cup 2023, teams must submit a preliminary roster by September 5; the final rosters are due on September 28. After this date, changes to the roster can only be made with ICC’s consent.
Kane Williamson is a seasoned pro with three World Cup campaigns with the Kiwis. In CWC2019, he scored 578 runs at a remarkable average of 82.57.
For New Zealand to perform even better in 2023, it will need to benefit greatly from its experience competing on the largest platform. Stead said that the group is looking into all options for including their captain.
When New Zealand plays England in Ahmedabad on October 5. It will be a replay of the dramatic 2019 World Cup final.
Stead stated that even if Williamson is not immediately available. So New Zealand will consider including him in its World Cup squad. Only if he continues to show better signs of recovery.
A strict timetable has been set for Williamson to prove to the New Zealand medical staff that he is healthy before the squad is announced in the middle of September for the ICC World Cup 2023.
Williamson’s selection, according to Stead, is “something we are talking about,” even if he were to miss matches. If it happens during the knockout rounds, it might be too late since you might not even be there. But if it happens earlier in the World Cup, we’d be thinking about it.
CWC2023 is still a tough ask
When asked about the situation on the ground, Kane responded that it is a difficult goal. The star batter acknowledges that he is in a race against time to be healthy for the World Cup.
Yeah, slim and yet a challenging task. However, having a goal like the World Cup in the back of your mind is inspiring. So you want to keep making progress, Kane added.
Kane Williamson said he is eager to get along with the group as New Zealand prepares for the white-ball tour of England because it is always good to become more connected with the group.
“The team hasn’t spent a lot of time together. But I’ve been somewhat off the grid, it’s great to be engaging with the group. It will be wonderful to spend some time with the team and do some training and rehab with the group as well. That tour and the one to Bangladesh are two of the last ones before the CWC2023”.
