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New Zealand captain Kane Williamson made an impressive comeback to international cricket, scoring 78 off 107 balls in the team’s 2023 World Cup win over Bangladesh in Chennai on October 13. This was Williamson’s first international match since he ruptured his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 opener.
The 33-year-old played in New Zealand’s two warm-up fixtures against Pakistan and South Africa, scoring 54 and 37 runs, respectively. However, he missed the team’s first two 2023 World Cup matches against England and Netherlands respectively.
Williamson, however, looked in complete control during his comeback match against Bangladesh, hitting eight fours and six. His comeback was short-lived, though as he had to retire hurt after being struck on his hand by a throw while completing a run. It was later confirmed that he had suffered a thumb fracture.
Batter Tom Blundell has been added to the New Zealand squad as cover following the captain’s injury. Meanwhile, Tom Latham is again leading the team against Afghanistan in Williamson’s absence.
Sharing an update on Williamson a few days back, Kiwi coach Gary Stead asserted that the cricketer has not been ruled out of the 2023 World Cup and could still play a part later in the tournament.
"Firstly, we're all feeling for Kane to have this occur after all his hard work to return from his knee injury. While it's disappointing news, the initial diagnosis has given us some optimism he can still feature later in the pool play following a period of rest and rehabilitation,” Stead was quoted as saying in media reports.
"Kane is clearly a massive part of our side and a world-class player and captain - so we'll look to give him every opportunity we can to return in the tournament," he added.
Apart from Williamson, Daryl Mitchell also starred with an unbeaten 89 off 67 balls against Bangladesh as the Kiwis registered victory by eight wickets in a chase of 246. The triumph was New Zealand’s third in as many games in the 2023 World Cup.
New Zealand vs Afghanistan 2023 World Cup: Playing XIs
Afghanistan have won the toss and opted to bowl first. Here are the playing XIs for today’s match.
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c & wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alikhil (w), Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
