New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson is hopeful of involving himself in the ICC warm-up game ahead of the ODI World Cup opener against defending champions England in Ahmedabad. The Black Caps captain has returned to the team after fighting a knee injury he suffered at the IPL earlier this year.
The 33-year-old will lead the New Zealand side in the second consecutive 50-over World Cup after leading them to the finals of the 2019 ODI World Cup in England. The return of Kane Williamson could be a big boost to the team because he can keep the Black Caps innings steady in the middle overs having the ample amount of experience playing in the Indian conditions.
With New Zealand Warmup games against Pakistan in Hyderabad on Friday and South Africa in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, Williamson said he was eager to complete his recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
“There is a strong desire to be involved as much as I can, Basically, it’s just wanting to progress what I am doing now – the running, the fielding, time in the middle with the bat.”
“Not a huge amount. Although the load is going to keep increasing, so there is a little bit of an unknown. But it has felt pretty good really in the last few weeks. Although it’s going well, you still have days that vary a little bit.
“So, it’s working through those warm-up games to get as much out of it as I can, and as a team, without bothering it too much,” Kane Williamson said.
Williamson is a more experienced player in that setup and the Blackcaps will be hopeful of their skipper returning in full fitness for the World Cup, as his form and fitness would be crucial for the New Zealand in India. The team will be hopeful of making it into the hattrick final of the ODI World Cup after qualifying for the final in the previous two editions.
You Just Have To Beat Them On Certain Days – Kane Williamson
Kane Williamson is pleased with their team’s series win against Bangladesh in a three-match series followed by their fighting performance against defending champions England in the previous series. The Kiwis skipper is hopeful of coming in top against quality teams in the World Cup.
“I think the positive thing for this New Zealand team is we’ve shown in the last month or so that we can beat England, which is one of the best teams in the world. You don’t have to beat them every day, you just have to beat them on certain days,” Kane Williamson added.
The last One-day international in Dhaka on Tuesday saw New Zealand defeat Bangladesh by seven wickets to win the series 2-0 and give themselves the best possible boost heading into the World Cup in India.