Star New Zealand batter and captain Kane Williamson plans to put his surgically-repaired knee to the test in this week’s World Cup warmup-games as he readies himself for a long due return to cricket after a lengthy injury-enforced absence. Whether he’ll play both the tune-up fixtures in Hyderabad (vs Pakistan) and in Trivandrum (vs South Africa) is still up in the air, but the 33-year-old hopes to ramp up his loads building up to the World Cup opener against England.
“There is a strong desire to be involved as much as I can,” he said before the team’s departure to India from Christchurch. “Basically, it’s just wanting to progress what I am doing now – the running, the fielding, time in the middle with the bat.”
Williamson, who ruptured an Anterior Cruciate Ligament while playing for Gujarat Titans in the opning match of IPL 2023 and hasn’t played competitively since, revealed that wasn’t entirely free of discomfort. “Although it’s going well, you still have days that vary a little bit. So it’s working through those warm-up games to get as much out of it as I can, and as a team, without bothering it too much. Although the load is going to keep increasing, so there is a little bit of an unknown. But it has felt pretty good really in the last few weeks.
Detailing the most difficult part of his recovery process, Williamson said: “Not so much the sprinting. More the slowing actually,” Williamson said. “From sprinting, the braking, a little bit of a change of direction. It’s all been part of the plan, and introducing it towards the end of recovery.”
Given the nature of the injury, Williamson said he may also have to reconsider his fielding position. “We will definitely consider some of that,” he said. “Where I field is usually at mid-off, which will probably remain the case. Probably slightly better suited to it than square of the wicket. Potentially some slip, but I won’t be standing there if we don’t require one.”
Meanwhile, head coach Gary Stead was pleased to have both Williamson and Tim Southee back for the World Cup. The veteran seamer, who broke a bone in his right thumb while fielding in the fourth ODI against England at Lord’s on September 15, has had a relatively quicker turnaround post a surgery. He is now likely to feature in the early stages of New Zealand’s World Cup campaign even if the opener comes up too early for him.
“Tim’s seen a hand specialist yesterday, and the key thing for him is really making sure the wound heals. We’re still really hopeful that he’ll be available early on in the tournament for selection,” Stead said. “He’s had five pins put in his thumb… He’s comfortable, and he’ll be ready somewhere around that first or second game.
“So, it’s all gone really well. He’s had a check in with the surgeon and a hand therapist. They think there might be a little bit of pain still, but he’s a tough and resilient character. So we are fortunate to still have him with our squad.”
