ICC World Cup 2023: Despite Injury, Kane Williamson To Travel To ICC Cricket World Cup 2023

Last Update on: April 26th, 2023 at 10:42 am

New Zealand National Cricket Team captain Kane Williamson will accompany his team to ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in October/November, despite not being in a condition to play.

Playing for Gujarat Titans (GT) in the opening match of IPL 2023 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Kane was injured during a fielding attempt and was carried off the field. It was later announced that he had ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of his right knee and was out of the tournament.

Having undergone successful surgery for his torn ACL, Kane Williamson has started his rehabilitation. Despite that, his World Cup aspirations as a player are in jeopardy this time around

Also read: PAK vs NZ: Mark Chapman Added To New Zealand ODI Squad Against Pakistan

New Zealand head coach Gary Stead has given an update on Kane Williamson’s playing status. He does say that the 32-year-old is unlikely to represent his national team on the field at the World Cup, but, Stead would like his star player to be with the team in a mentoring role, saying –

“It’s still far too early to know. To date what we know, that’s been successful. He’s in the very early stages of his rehab programme. It’s obviously pretty weight-bearing at this stage and he’s in a brace… It’s really just meeting milestones as we go. It’s unlikely that he will be available, but we certainly don’t want to rule out a person of his class and caliber and the things that he brings to this team too early in case there is that chance.”

Also read: ICC World Cup 2023: “I Still Go Back To Martin Guptill” – Ian Smith Urges New Zealand Cricket To Get Veteran Opener Ready Amidst Finn Allen Concerns

Might New Zealand have already found a replacement for Kane Williamson

Kane Williamson cuts an unmatched figure over New Zealand cricket. Frequently compared to some of the greatest batsmen of this generation, he is, in many ways, irreplaceable in the national team squad.

But now that he will likely not be fit in time for the World Cup, New Zealand finds themselves with the difficult task to find a replacement for him. They might find their answer in Mark Chapman.

The 28-year-old was most recently named the Player of the Series against Pakistan. In 5 T20Is, he scored 290 runs with a strike rate of 166. This included an unbeaten, match-winning ton in the final match.

In the same discussion where he talks about Kane Williamson’s injury update, Gary Stead discusses the possibility for Mark Chapman to play an important role for New Zealand at the World Cup.

“It’s not just about one knock of Mark Chapman, why he was added to the ODI squad, but there is a lot of competition for places. It’s not so much about the competition, but it’s how we keep building towards the World Cup and Mark Chapman is still one guy that is in our thoughts around that,” he said.

Also read: PAK vs NZ: “The Dropped Catch Obviously Cost Us The Game” – Babar Azam Blames Shadab Khan After The Loss Against New Zealand In The Fifth T20I

New Zealand reached two consecutive ODI World Cup finals without winning the tournament with Kane Williamson, it now remains to be seen whether they could pull off a title-winning campaign this time round.