Vaibhav Tripathi
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has been ruled out of the opening match of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup against England, scheduled for October 5 in Hyderabad, due to his ongoing recovery from a knee injury.
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) on Friday, September 29, also confirmed that Williamson will participate only as a batter in the warm-up game against Pakistan. However, there are hopes that he will be able to both bat and field in the second warm-up match against South Africa.
Gary Stead, the head coach, emphasized their cautious approach to Williamson’s recovery, stating, “Right from the start, we’ve taken a long-term view on Kane’s return to play.” His recovery is tracking well and it’s now a matter of making sure he can cope with the rigours and intensity of international cricket. We’ll continue to take a day by day approach to Kane’s rehabilitation and certainly won’t be putting any pressure on him to return before he is ready.”
Williamson sustained a knee injury while fielding during the first IPL 2023 game. The 33-year-old underwent surgery for a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.