New Zealand captain Kane Williamson is likely to be sidelined once again and miss the remainder of the ongoing T20I series against Pakistan due to injury. The star batsman spent the better part of 2023 out of action after suffering an ACL injury in the very first match of the IPL.
His participation in the World Cup was also looking doubtful but he managed to recover just in time to play in the competition. Even in the World Cup, he suffered a thumb injury and had to miss few games. And 2024 has also started on a similar note for the New Zealand star.
Kane Williamson sustained a hamstring injury during the second T20I against Pakistan at Seddon Park on Sunday (January 14) and is looking doubtful for the remainder of the five-match series. He had to retire hurt on 26 runs off 15 deliveries after he suffered the injury while batting. He did not take any further part in the game as Tim Southee took charge of the team.
Kane Williamson doubtful for the series:
New Zealand had already announced that Kane Williamson would be rested for the third T20I in Dunedin as part of his knee rehabilitation programme. And he now looks set to miss the fourth and fifth games as well due to the latest injury setback.
“With the test matches so close as well, which probably in the big scheme of things, in the short term for us, has a higher priority, I think it’s likely we’ll try and make sure that he is right for that,” New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said.
While the rest of the team left for Dunedin for the next game, Williamson returned home. He will undergo scans on Monday in order to find out the extent of the injury. New Zealand will take a call on his availability only after the results of the scans are out. In case, Williamson fails to recover in time, he is likely to be replaced by Tim Seifert in the playing XI.
Meanwhile, left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner is set to lead New Zealand in the third T20I in Williamson’s absence. While he was announced as the stand-in captain when the squad was announced, he was tested positive for Covid-19 just before the first T20I and had to miss the game. He returned to action in the second game.
“We monitored his symptoms over the next 48 hours and he improved significantly. There’s no mandatory stand-down period in New Zealand now in terms of what you have to do, but from a symptom perspective, he was fine to play, so he played last night,” Stead said.
The Black Caps have taken a 2-0 lead in the series and will be looking to wrap up the series in the third T20I, scheduled to take place on Wednesday, January 17, in Dunedin.
