New Zealand suffered a massive jolt on Saturday, with an X-ray confirming an undisplaced fracture to Kane Williamson’s left thumb, after the NZ captain was struck by a throw while running between the wickets in Friday’s ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 match against Bangladesh in Chennai. Though Williamson will remain with the the New Zealand World Cup squad, the best-case scenario for him is being available for the business end of the group-stage games next month. The Black Caps have won three games in a row and are currently on top of the points table, but the latest news regarding their captain must have come as a bolt from the blue for the side. (Highlights | Full Coverage)
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The game against Bangladesh on Friday night was Williamson's first international outing in more than six months after his recovery from an ACL injury that he suffered in the Indian Premier League in March. He retired hurt after a composed 78 at Chepauk.
But a stroke of bad luck saw Williamson getting hit in the thumb from the throw and suffering the fracture, which will make him unavailable for NZ's next three games - against Afghanistan in Chennai on October 18, against India in Dharamsala on October 22 and versus South Africa in Pune on October 28. His comeback for the remaining three games in November will depend entirely on how quickly the 33-year-old right-hander can recover.
Wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell will travel to India as cover but will not officially be part of the squad, while Williamson rehabilitates the injury.
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NZ head coach Gary Stead said he was hopeful that Williamson would still play a part in the tournament eventually. “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 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,” he added.
Stead said Blundell’s versatility saw him being selected to join the squad as cover, while Henry Nicholls wasn’t considered after suffering a mild side-strain during Canterbury’s Plunket Shield warm-up match against Otago during the week.
“Tom’s been with the one-day side on tours to Pakistan and Bangladesh and performed well. He covers multiple positions in the batting order and his wicket-keeping skills are also an added bonus as a back-up,” Stead added.
