Will Kane Williamson Return For New Zealand Against South Africa?
Kane Williamson is likely to make a return vs India (Twitter)
In a significant development, New Zealand captain, Kane Williamson, will remain sidelined for the upcoming crucial World Cup 2023 match against South Africa in Pune on Wednesday, as he continues to recuperate from a thumb injury sustained during the clash with Bangladesh.
Injured Kane Williamson's absence continues for NZ vs SA clash
This injury forced Williamson to miss the team's last three encounters against Afghanistan, India, and Australia.
"Kane Williamson has been ruled out of Wednesday’s match against @ProteasMenCSA. Williamson has batted in the nets the last two days but has been ruled out of a return to match action tomorrow. He will be assessed again ahead of the side’s next match against @TheRealPCB," said Black Caps on Twitter.
With Williamson unavailable, Tom Latham has shouldered the captaincy responsibilities during his absence. Latham, addressing reporters on Tuesday, provided insights into the team's approach for managing the injured players.
"We'll obviously get through hopefully a bit of work today and then we'll see how they pull up from a selection point of view. Lockie went off in the last game with a bit of an Achilles' niggle, so fingers crossed he'll be fine for tomorrow,” said Latham.
Ferguson sustained his injury during a thrilling high-scoring clash against Australia last Saturday, where New Zealand narrowly fell short by a margin of just five runs, consequently causing them to slip to fourth place in the tournament standings. Notably, all-rounder Mark Chapman was also unavailable for that game due to a calf injury, leading to James Neesham's valiant performance with a half-century that nearly secured an improbable victory for the team.
"We've got a few guys to get through a few fitness tests and I guess once we train, we'll have a clearer idea of what the 11 looks like. So fingers crossed, all those guys can get through a bit of work today at training and be ready to go tomorrow,” added the southpaw.
The Black Caps are now preparing to face an in-form South African team that has recently surged to the second position in the points table due to a commendable streak of three consecutive victories. The absence of their captain Williamson presents a formidable challenge for New Zealand as they endeavour to regain their momentum in the competition.
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