Last Updated on 1 year by Charbel Coorey
Cricket News: Will Kane Williamson play in the 2023 ODI World Cup? | Kane Williamson hopeful of playing in World Cup
New Zealand might see their prospects for the upcoming ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 skyrocket as mainstay Kane Williamson is back in the nets and has begun facing throwdowns.
Williamson suffered a serious injury to his right knee in the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 and underwent surgery for a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
On Thursday, the 32-year-old put up a short clip of him batting in the nets and captioned the video, “Nice to be back in the nets with the bat in hand for a few throws.”
Kane Williamson still hopeful of playing in the 2023 ODI World Cup
Williamson was dealt with the fitness blow when playing for Gujarat Titans on March 31. He went through the surgery in April and by that time it appeared clear that he would be missing the mega tournament in India in October-November.
Hence, news of him accompanying the side as a mentor in the World Cup began floating around. However, in June it emerged that there still remained an outside chance of Williamson making it to the World Cup squad.
The batsman averages 47.84 at a strike rate of 80.97 in 153 ODI innings. He has 42 half-centuries and 13 tons in the 50-overs format and has been a vital cog in holding the Kiwi batting together for nearly a decade now.
Williamson elevates his game even further in the ODI World Cup. He has aggregated 911 runs in 22 innings, having averaged 56.94 with three half-centuries and a couple of tons. He was named player of the tournament in the 2019 edition.
Since Williamson was sidelined, the Kiwi team has lost four of their five matches. They lost the ODI series in Pakistan 4-1 and the team was led by southpaw Tom Latham in that tour.