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New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has been ruled out of the Kiwis' 2023 ODI World Cup opening match against England at the Narendra Modi Stadium on October 5.
According to an official update by New Zealand Cricket, he is set to play the upcoming warm-up match against Pakistan on Friday at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad as a pure batter.
Williamson injured his knee during the opening contest of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) while representing the Gujarat Titans (GT). The injury ruled him out of action since then, with the ace batter barely managing to win the race against time to be included in New Zealand's squad for the 2023 ODI World Cup.
He was part of the New Zealand team that toured England, but only as part of his rehabilitation work in the build-up to the World Cup.
The official update from New Zealand Cricket also mentions that the skipper might feature as a fielder as well in the team's second warm-up match against South Africa on Monday, October 2.
"BLACKCAPS captain Kane Williamson will miss the opening game of the ICC Cricket World Cup against England, as he continues to progress his knee rehabilitation," the statement read.
"Williamson will play as a batsman-only in today's first warm-up match against Pakistan in Hyderabad, with the aim of batting and fielding in Monday's second and final warm-up against South Africa in Trivandrum," it continued.
In Kane Williamson's absence on the field, Tom Latham is primed to lead the team in New Zealand's first warm-up match against Pakistan.
"We’ll continue to take a day-by-day approach to Kane’s rehabilitation" - New Zealand head coach Gary Stead on Williamson's recovery
Kane Williamson's presence in the World Cup squad was touch-and-go for a while, but he did manage to make the cut despite not having recovered completely. New Zealand head coach Gary Stead had already claimed that the team management will look to include the senior batter even if he is available to play the second half of the tournament.
Stead spoke about the star player missing the crucial opening World Cup contest against England.
"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," he said.
“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,” Stead continued.
Williamson's last international endeavor came in the form of the home Test series against Sri Lanka in March 2023.
