New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has suffered an undisplaced fracture in his left thumb, but the team expects him to be ready for the end of the league stage in the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup next month.
Live Cricket Score learned that New Zealand Cricket (NZC) also announced that wicketkeeper-batsman Tom Blundell has been called up to the squad in India as a cover. At the same time, Williamson recovers from his latest injury setback. Williamson batted valiantly for 78 runs off 81 balls in his comeback match after sustaining an ACL injury in his right knee during IPL 2023.
Even though New Zealand defeated Bangladesh by eight wickets in Chennai, Kane had to leave the game against Bangladesh, his first appearance of the tournament, due to injury after being struck on the thumb while scurrying between the wickets in the 38th over. Gary Stead, the head coach, expressed optimism that Williamson would continue to participate in the competition.
“First and foremost, we’re all heartbroken for Kane, who has worked tirelessly to recover from his knee injury. While this is disappointing news, the preliminary diagnosis gives us hope that he will be able to return to pool play after a period of rest and rehabilitation. Kane is clearly an important part of our team and a world-class player and captain, so we’ll give him every opportunity to compete in the tournament.”
