Williamson and Southee Fit for Bangladesh Clash, Confirms New Zealand Coach
Williamson fit for Bangladesh clash [AP Photo]
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson and veteran fast bowler Tim Southee are poised for their comebacks in the 2023 World Cup during the game against Bangladesh in Chennai on Friday, October 13. Head coach Gary Stead made this announcement in a press conference, ending the anticipation of fans and the team alike.
Williamson, who last played an international match in March earlier this year in Wellington, is now on track to return to the international arena. However, he missed the first two matches of the 2023 World Cup against England and Netherlands.
Although he batted in the two warm-up games, the team chose not to rush him into the matches against England and Netherlands, both of which New Zealand won convincingly. This cautious approach was due to Williamson's issues with fielding, but it appears that he has now made a full recovery.
Stead provided insights into Williamson's progress, emphasizing the importance of his ability to field and run between the wickets consistently over a 50-over game. While there are still two more training sessions to complete before the match against Bangladesh, all signs point to Williamson's return in this game.
NZ coach on Williamson's return
“He's been progressing very very well. He’s had a great five or six last days, really ramped up the fielding aspect of things – that's the key thing for Kane at the moment, it's not about his injury so much, it's his ability to run between the wickets and field and to consistently do that over a 50-over game. We've got two more trainings still to get through but at this stage all things are looing good for Kane to return in this game," said Gary Stead ahead of the Bangladesh clash.
Southee fit and ready to go
On another front, veteran seamer Tim Southee is also ready to be considered for selection. He had to miss the first two games due to his recovery from a broken and dislocated thumb, an injury he sustained during the last game of the ODI series in England last month.
"Tim will be available for selection, he's been tracking well. Looks like the thumb has set very very well. He has been bowling at full intensity for the last couple of training sessions so he is certainly available for selection," added Stead.
With the return of these two experienced players, it will be intriguing to see which two team members make way for them in the upcoming match against Bangladesh.
 "Vaibhav Tripathi")
