3 Reasons Why Kane Williamson Will Fail In Champions Trophy 2025

Kane Williamson in tri-series opener vs Pakistan (Source: AP Photos)

Kane Williamson is one of the finest cricketers of the modern generation and is known for his consistency. He is arguably the best batter New Zealand has produced in their history and would be crucial for them in Champions Trophy 2025. However, he is now 34-year-old and some deficiencies have crept into his batting, and it has affected his game in the last few years.

Some of those reasons can be detrimental to his progress in Champions Trophy 2025 as well, and there are chances that Williamson will fail in the upcoming tournament. Let's see what are those three reasons.

3. Injury-Prone Nature Might Restrict His Batting

Kane Williamson has been laid low by injuries in the last few years. He has been consistently getting injured in the last three years, and has suffered elbow injury, groin injuries, knee injury and even a thumb injury. It has restricted his participation for his country and has left the captaincy of the country too.

Injuries List In Last Five Years

He has played only 80 international matches since 2020 and it shows how frequently he has missed games for his country. It has forced him to adopt a very cautious approach, and it has been evident on the field where he is not looking to risk his body by doing anything out of the box. Injuries can also restrict a batter's ability to play some of the shots that he naturally plays, and it can happen with Kane Williamson in Champions Trophy which might end in a below-par performance.

2. Lack Of ODI Cricket In Last Five Years

The star right-handed batter was one of the biggest reasons of New Zealand's success in the 2019 World Cup. He played lot of ODI cricket leading upto that tournament, and was delivering with great consistency under pressure. However, since 2020, he has played just 17 ODIs and scored his last century in the format in 2019.

He did not play a single ODI game in 2021 and 2024 and finally made his comeback in the first game of the tri-series against Pakistan. He will get just three games to accommodate himself to the format before the big tournament and it could affect his performance in the format that has changed a lot in the last few years.

1. Defensive Approach Not In Sync With Modern-Day Cricket

The top teams in the world have taken an aggressive approach in ODI cricket in the last few years, and New Zealand would have to take the same route to succeed on flat decks in Pakistan. Kane Williamson though has struggled to live upto those standards and it was evident again in the tri-series opener where he scored 58 off 89 balls at a strike-rate of 65.16.

This approach can haunt Kane Williamson in Champions Trophy as the situation could demand him to play more aggressively against top teams. Thus, he might be forced to take extra risks and as it does not come naturally, it could result in more failures. His strike-rates have been consistently below 80 since 2018, the exception being 2023 where he scored his runs at a strike-rate of 87.31. 

Thus, all these factors indicate that Kane Williamson might struggle in Champions Trophy 2025.

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