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New Zealand's limited overs captain Kane Williamson has been confirmed as a member of the Blackcaps squad for the upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup in India, scheduled to be played in India from October 5 to November 19.
The right-handed batter has made significant progress to recover from a knee injury that he sustained while playing for Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League.
The senior player, though, is unlikely to regain full fitness for the World Cup opener against defending champions England set to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 5.
New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said, as quoted by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday, September 4:
“Kane has applied phenomenal dedication to his rehabilitation and has been supported by a strong group of experts around him. He’s left no stone unturned in trying to get back playing cricket at the highest level. We are delighted to be in a place to select him. At the same time, he’s also kept perspective about his recovery and hasn’t wanted to rush or force his way back too early.”
He continued:
‘As we’ve previously said, it’s great he wants to play cricket for New Zealand in the long term. As we’ve said throughout this process we want to give Kane every bit of available time to aid his recovery. The World Cup is not a short tournament and we will continue to monitor his progress over the next month ahead of the first tournament match.”
Fans on X (previously known as Twitter) shared their excitement to learn about Williamson’s inclusion in the Kiwi squad for the 2023 ODI World Cup. One user wrote:
"Kane Williamson is making a comeback and will be joining New Zealand's World Cup squad in India! After a challenging six months, world cricket fans is thrilled to have this champion player back!"
Here are some of the other reactions:
Kane Williamson’s inclusion bolsters New Zealand’s squad for the 2023 ODI World Cup
Kane Williamson’s inclusion will bolster New Zealand’s side in the 2023 ODI World Cup. The right-handed batter has amassed 6554 runs in 161 ODIs at an average of 47.84, including 13 centuries and 42 fifties.
The 33-year-old emerged as one of the leading run-scorers during the 2019 World Cup, scoring 578 runs in 10 games, including two tons.
Overall, he has scored 911 runs in 23 ODIs at an average of 56.93 in the 50-over tournament.
