World Cup 2023: New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson aims to put knee to the test during warmups

Kane Williamson is aiming to put his knee to the test during New Zealand’s warm-up games ahead of the World Cup in India next month.

Williamson, the captain of New Zealand’s cricket team, has been on a challenging journey to recover following a serious knee injury. The injury, a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee, had sidelined him for a significant period.

His recovery journey began with surgery in April 2023. Following the operation, he made gradual progress, even traveling with the team to England to continue working on his fitness. By July 5, 2023, he was back to holding a bat and hitting balls, signaling a positive turn in his recovery process. However, he acknowledged that there was still work to be done before he could return to international cricket.

In the lead-up to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, scheduled to take place in India from October to November, Williamson faced a race against time to prove his fitness. He was given two weeks to demonstrate his readiness for the tournament. His efforts paid off when he made sufficient progress to be included in the New Zealand squad for the World Cup. This announcement, made on September 5, 2023, was a significant boost for the team.

Despite not being fully fit, Williamson expressed his intention to make the most out of the warm-up matches and progressively increase his load moving into the World Cup. The New Zealand skipper is looking to put his surgically repaired knee to the test in the warm-up games, as quoted by Cricbuzz.

“There is a strong desire to be involved as much as I can. Basically, it’s just wanting to progress what I am doing now – the running, the fielding, time in the middle with the bat. 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,” said Williamson.

Williamson is also looking to change his field position when he returns to the ground following his lengthy lay-off.

“We will definitely consider some of that. 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,”