Tom Latham, the stand-in New Zealand skipper, gave an update on the injury and recovery status of captain Kane Williamson, pacer Lockie Ferguson, and batter Mark Chapman ahead of his team’s ODI World Cup 2023 tie versus South Africa.
New Zealand’s cricket squad suffered huge difficulties during the World Cup 2023 due to injuries to two of their main players, Williamson and Ferguson.
Williamson, the New Zealand team’s captain, had an especially difficult day. Following a lengthy absence from international cricket due to a knee injury, he made a good comeback against Bangladesh on October 13th, 2023.
He led his team to an eight-wicket victory and scored 78 runs. His comeback, however, was overshadowed by an unhappy incident. A throw from the field hit him straight on his left glove when he was taking a rapid single, causing acute pain and swelling.
He had to retire hurt due to immense pain. Subsequent medical examinations revealed that he had suffered an undisplaced fracture to his left thumb. This injury ruled him out of action until the latter stages of the group play in the World Cup.
Pacer Lockie Ferguson had to leave the field after bowling just three overs against Australia as he started experiencing pain in his right Achilles. The injury was severe enough to prevent him from returning to the field for the rest of the match. Mark Chapman also returned to hut after injuring his hamstring.
“Fingers Crossed”- Tom Latham Gives Update On Kane Williamson, Mark Chapman And Locke Ferguson
Latham was asked about Ferguson, Williamson, and Mark Chapman during the pre-match press conference. The stand-in captain stated that they would be evaluated following training on October 31. Latham is also hoping for the best for Ferguson, who has been sidelined with an Achilles injury.
“Yeah, just as I said before, there’s Lockie, Kane and Mark Chapman. 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. But yeah, obviously, Lockie went off in the last game with a bit of Achilles’ niggle, so fingers crossed he’ll be fine for tomorrow,” said Latham as per ANI.
New Zealand have won 4 out of 6 matches in CWC 2023 and have 8 points.
