Durham, Aug 28: New Zealand will give experienced cricketer Kane Williamson every chance to prove his fitness ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup campaign in India.
He has two weeks to prove his fitness following which the Black Caps will name their squad for the showpiece event.
The 33-year-old’s chances of taking part in this year’s World Cup were initially considered slim, as he suffered a ruptured ACL in his right knee during the opening match of IPL 2023 while representing Gujarat Titans against Chennai Super Kings earlier this year.
But he has recently made strong progress in a bid to lead his country into battle at the 50-over showcase and was recently returned to batting in the nets alongside his teammates as they gear up for an important white-ball series against England, commencing from August 30.
New Zealand coach Gary Stead said while Williamson was progressing well in his bid to return to full fitness, the team’s influential skipper still had some boxes to tick before he would be considered for selection.
“(We have) got about two weeks from now until we name that side. (We are) going to give him every chance and use that full amount of time. He’s in full rehab mode, he’s back batting in the nets again which is great to see. He’s progressing really well but again there’s a lot of work for him still to do to make sure he gets to where we need him to be,” Stead told reporters ahead of the England series.
