CHENNAI: The horrific ACL knee injury sidelined him for almost six months. But New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson didn’t take too long to get down to business in his international comeback match against Bangladesh on Friday.
Williamson’s roaring return, though, was short-lived as the injury jinx struck him again, forcing the stalwart to be ruled out for the remaining World Cup league matches, if not for the entire tournament.
After steering his team into safe confines with a knock of 78 not out, Williamson suffered an injury while running towards the non-striker’s end as a throw from mid-off hit his left thumb in the 38th over. Williamson braved the pain and tried to bat on but decided soon after to retire hurt.
On Saturday, the New Zealand Cricket announced that an X-ray confirmed an “undisplaced fracture” to Williamson’s left thumb. Although the 33-year-old will remain with the World Cup squad, it will be a miracle if he plays again.
The team has won three matches in a row and current form suggests that they can be a possible contender for the title. But Williamson’s injury at such a crucial juncture may queer the pitch.
Wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell will travel to India as a reserve but will not officially be part of the squad.
Williamson, who wounded his knee in March in the IPL, put in a lot of effort and recovered with meticulous care to be able to play in the World Cup. The Kiwi head coach Gary Stead is hoping Williamson could still play a part 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,” said Stead.
On Friday, it was Williamson’s partnership with right-hander Daryl Mitchell that set up New Zealand’s win. While he was all excited to have his captain back, the 32-year-old will now have to shoulder the extra responsibility of being the senior player in the middle-order. It will no longer be about only attack, Mitchell, who scored 89 not out off 67 balls on Friday, will have to anchor the ship as well.
“There’s obviously a job for me to do within this team, and it involves being a part of the partnership and communicating with each other. We were trying to put the pressure back on the opposition,” said the allrounder.
New Zealand next play Afghanistan in Chennai on Wednesday.
