Is Kane Williamson playing today's NZ vs PAK match of 2023 World Cup?

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has returned to the fold to lead the side in their crucial 2023 ODI World Cup contest against Pakistan at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.

Williamson has only played one match in the ongoing tournament, with his involvement being curtailed due to multiple injury issues. Coming into the tournament, the ace batter was in the final phase of his recovery from a major knee injury that he sustained in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL).

After missing out on the opening set of matches, he featured in the team's win over Bangladesh at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. However, he had to retire hurt after a stray throw from a fielder led to a fractured thumb.

After losing out to Babar Azam at the toss and being put into bat first, Kane Williamson said:

Slightly different looking surface to what we expect here. We will try to put a competitive target and adapt to the conditions. Nice to be back out here, obviously few niggles in the camp and the guys are very excited for the challenge today."

We have 2 changes. Ish Sodhi comes in for Matt Henry and I come in for Will Young. Looks like it might take some turn. For us, it's about sticking to our plans and adapting to conditions as best as we can," he added.

A New Zealand victory today will knock out the likes of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England, and the Netherlands from the tournament.

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Kane Williamson scored an unbeaten 78 in his sole 2023 ODI World Cup innings

The New Zealand skipper has looked in good touch since his return from injury. Kane Williamson was not fit for the away series in England and Bangladesh, and his first stint with the bat after several months came in the ODI World Cup warm-up matches. He compiled a good set of scores against Pakistan and South Africa before being retired out.

For the upcoming clash against Pakistan, the skipper has replaced Will Young in the playing XI and will bat at his trademark No. 3 position, leading to a left-handed opening pair of Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra.

New Zealand (Playing XI): Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson(c), Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(w), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Trent Boult.

Pakistan (Playing XI): Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Iftikhar Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Agha Salman, Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf.

Will Kane Williamson's return bolster New Zealand's semi-final chances amid a three-match losing run? Let us know what you think.