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New Zealand captain Kane Williamson is on the road to recovery ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, scheduled to be played from October 5 to November 19.
Williamson is undergoing rehab to recover from the knee injury that he sustained during the latest edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 32-year-old had ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) while fielding for Gujarat Titans in April and subsequently underwent surgery in New Zealand before beginning rehabilitation.
In the latest video shared by the BlackCaps, Williamson gave an update on his rehabilitation, saying:
“Great to see some of the guys and some of the new faces. Yeah, looking forward to the team camp. Nice to have a year at home as well in the mountain giving some training and just reconnecting a little bit.”
The right-handed batter continued:
“Nice to be on the bike, doing fitness sessions on the bike (bicycle) and progressing from the lower-level stuff, and really control. Getting better with my movements, being able to co-operate some of the batting aspects where you move your feet a little bit more. But, yeah, still a bit of work to do. So, just keep working hard really.”
Williamson’s return could be a major boost for the Kiwis, who ended as finalists in the last two editions of the ODI World Cup. He was the side’s highest run-getter in the 2019 World Cup, scoring 578 runs at an average of 82.57, including two centuries and as many fifties before being adjudged Player of the Tournament.
“Magic” – Gary Stead on Kane Williamson’s rehabilitation
New Zealand head coach Gary Stead has lauded Kane Williamson for his rehabilitation. He credited the skipper for his sheer dedication to the team and said:
“It's nice seeing him with the bat in his hand and hitting balls again. I’ll be it it's not right at the level that he is to perform internationally, that sets him certainly on the road to recovery and there is usually silver-linings in injuries and how you look at them and to have him keep saying, ‘Hey, I am invested in this team and I really want to be playing for the team,’ is magic to hear.”
New Zealand will begin their 2023 ODI World Cup campaign against 2019 champions England at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 5.
Click here to check out the full 2023 ODI World Cup schedule.
