Kane Williamson, the captain of New Zealand’s cricket team, faces a setback in his journey at the ODI World Cup 2023. An X-ray has confirmed an “undisplaced fracture” in his left thumb. This injury comes as a blow to Williamson, who had recently recovered from an ACL injury. The incident occurred when he was struck by a throw while running between the wickets during his international comeback against Bangladesh in Chennai on October 13.
Williamson will continue to be part of the New Zealand World Cup squad, with hopes of returning to action during the crucial stage of the league phase next month. To provide backup, Tom Blundell has been called in, although he hasn’t been officially named as part of the squad.
Coach Gary Stead expressed the team’s optimism about Kane Williamson’s return later in the tournament, despite the disappointment of this latest injury. “Firstly, we’re all feeling for Kane to have this occur after all his hard work to return from his knee injury,” Stead said. “While it’s disappointing news, the initial diagnosis has given us some optimism that he can still feature later in the pool play following a period of rest and rehabilitation. Kane is clearly a massive part of our side and a world-class player and captain – so we’ll look to give him every opportunity we can to return in the tournament.”
Stead also highlighted Tom Blundell’s versatility as a key factor in his selection as a cover player. “Tom’s been with the one-day side on tours to Pakistan and Bangladesh and performed well,” Stead noted. “He covers multiple positions in the batting order, and his wicket-keeping skills are also an added bonus as a backup.”
Notably, Henry Nicholls is unavailable for consideration due to a mild side-strain sustained during a Plunket Shield warm-up match earlier in the week.
Currently, New Zealand leads the points table with three wins in as many games and is set to face Afghanistan in their next match in Chennai.
