New Zealand head coach Gary Stead recently revealed about Kane Williamson’s elbow injury concerns and hinted that the Kiwi skipper might skip a few matches during the World Cup. In the 2nd warmup game against England, Kane Williamson fielded in the match but didn’t bat. New Zealand coach Gary Stead said afterward that his elbow injury had “flared up a little bit” after their loss to Australia in the first warmup game two days back.
Coach Gary Stead confirmed that team management would carefully monitor Williamson’s elbow issues and manage his workload accordingly during the T20 World Cup. In a report on stuff.co.nz, Gary Stead said:
“Williamson’s absence from the batting crease against England was more precautionary than anything. We’re still pretty hopeful and confident that if we get the rest right, initially here now, and get that balance right then he should be right to play. There’s always that chance of him skipping matches.”
“Kane is a prodigious hitter of and balls, he loves to prepare that way as well, and in some ways that’s probably the worst thing he can do, is over-hit at times. So it’s really getting that balance right, between feeling ready and feeling prepared to go, and making sure we don’t aggravate anything,” he added
Kane Williamson is an expectional player of spin bowling
Kane Williamson did not look in the best of touch in the second leg of IPL 2021 in UAE. Going into the World Cup, Williamson is New Zealand’s best batsman whose guile to score runs in the toughest conditions. The pitches will get tired as the tournament progresses, and there will be more assistance for spinners. And as a result, Willamson’s scoring ability in the middle overs will be more important for New Zealand.
The team is going into the World Cup, without the experienced duo of Colin De Grandhome and Ross Taylor, so there will be more responsibility on Willaonson’s shoulder. Kane Williamson has scored 1805 runs from 65 innings at an average of 31.66. Since 2016, he has smashed 1221 runs in 42 innings at a strike rate of 123.70 in T20Is.
New Zealand is paired with India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and two more teams in the group stage. The Black Caps will start their campaign against Pakistan on October 26 in Sharjah. In the last edition of the T20 World Cup, New Zealand made it to the semi-finals but eventually lost to England.
