New Zealand worried over Williamson’s availability for World Cup

Williamson got himself in a tangle while trying to save a boundary during the Titans' opening match in IPL 2023 against the Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium

Auckland: Kane Williamson’s knee injury while playing for Gujarat Titans in the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 against Chennai Super Kings in Ahmedabad has the New Zealand team management worried over his availability for the entire season.

On Friday, Williamson got himself in a tangle while trying to save a boundary during the Titans’ opening match in IPL 2023 against the Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

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Williamson, New Zealand’s white-ball captain, had to leave the field, after which Sai Sudharsan was roped in as an Impact Player.

“I just messaged him and I don’t know about the update. He has gone for the scans. So, once he comes back after the scans and the doctors’ checks, then exactly we will be able to know what exactly it is. It is knee for sure, but I don’t know how serious it is or how much time it will take,” Hardik said in the post-match press conference.

New Zealand coach Gary Stead said it was “too early to know” for how long Williamson will be out of action and whether the former Black Caps captain will be fit for the World Cup.

The experienced Williamson is expected to be a crucial figure for New Zealand in the 50-overs World Cup in India in October-November. Therefore the Black Caps will be worried till the seriousness of his injury and the length of his absence is known.

On Saturday, during the pre-match press conference for the T20I series opener against Sri Lanka, New Zealand coach Gary Stead put up a cautious front to questions about Williamson’s availability for the World Cup.

“Our first thoughts are obviously with him, we’re not sure at this stage of the severity of the injury. He’s being assessed in the next 24-48 hours, so we will know more after that,” Stead was quoted as saying by media in New Zealand. Stead said he spoke to Williamson since the incident and found him in “OK” spirits.

“All we know at this stage is it’s his right knee. Unfortunately, I can’t give you much more than that now until we find out more information. It’s not nice to see anyone, let alone the captain of your white ball team, being injured. It’s a big blow for him, and it’s a big blow for us.”

The Black Caps coaching and medical staff were aiming to get a more detailed prognosis from his Gujarat Titans franchise by Sunday morning, with Williamson likely to have had a scan on the knee.