Photo courtesy: IANS
Gary Stead, the head coach of New Zealand, has voiced confidence in Kane Williamson’s recovery and stressed the management’s careful approach to gauging the rate of his recuperation.
Since rupturing the ACL in his right knee on March 31 in Ahmedabad while playing for Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2023 season opener against Chennai Super Kings, the 33-year-old has not participated in any cricket matches. He had surgery in April, but just recently returned to training and net batting.
Williamson will travel to England and train with the team while continuing his recovery in the hopes that he will be fit enough for selection for the World Cup in less than a month. Williamson was not selected in New Zealand’s 15-player squad for their four-match ODI series in England, which begins on September 8.
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“We will take every measure we can to make sure that we get the medical advice that lines up and he’s where we want to be before we make that call on whether he goes (to India for the World Cup) or not. It’s too early to know,” Stead was quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
“Kane’s working very much on a day-by-day, week-by-week process and we’ve been really clear and careful with him that we don’t look too far ahead and, I guess, get expectations too big or not big enough at times as well. He’s progressed as we’ve hoped and possibly even better in some cases but you know with ACL injuries that they can be difficult, and different for every person as well,” he said.
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Williamson is currently working against the clock to be well in time for the World Cup, which begins on October 5.
If the right-hander heals in time for the elimination rounds, Stead said it was under consideration but doubtful that the right-hander would be chosen for the World Cup’s further stages.
“That’s something we are talking about at the moment,” Stead said. “If it’s the knockout stages then I think that might be too late because you’re saying something that may or may not even be there. But if it was earlier in the World Cup, I think we’d definitely be considering it,” Stead said.
Williamson was his side’s highest run-getter in the 2019 Men’s ODI World Cup with 578 runs at 82.57, including two centuries and as many fifties. He was also adjudged Player of the Tournament as New Zealand lost in the Super Over to England after scores were tied in an unforgettable final at Lord’s.
-IANS
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