Big Setback For Kiwis! Kane Williamson Ruled Out Of NZ vs ENG ODI World Cup Opener

Kane Williamson ruled out: Kane Williamson suffered an injury during the opening match of Indian Premier League (IPL) between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings in Ahmedabad on March 31.  

Kane Williamson out of NZ vs ENG ODI World Cup 2023 match: New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson is currently focusing on his knee injury rehabilitation and is set to miss his team's ODI World Cup 2023 opening match against defending champions England on October 5 in Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium. NZ vs ENG World Cup 2023 match on October 5 will be the recap of the 2019 ODI World Cup Final. Even in today's (Friday) warm-up game match between New Zealand and Pakistan in Hyderabad, Williamson is only participating as a batsman.

Kane Williamson suffered an injury during the opening match of Indian Premier League (IPL) between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings in Ahmedabad on March 31, which required surgery. He has been picked in New Zealand's ODI World Cup 2023 squad despite the knee injury. The team management decided to rest Williamson, who is important for New Zealand's ODI World Cup 2023 plans, for ODI World Cup 2023 opener between New Zealand and England on October 5 to make sure that the star batter gets fully recovered for the mega event.

Before departing for India earlier this week, Williamson shared update on his injury.

“Not a huge amount, although the load is going to keep increasing so there’s a little bit of an unknown. But it has felt pretty good really in the last few weeks and I’m hoping that it continues to feel like that. But we’re definitely looking to touch on more stuff, [and] introducing myself into the game mode, which is something which we haven’t had the opportunity to do.,” Kane Williamson told media.

Tom Latham replaces Kane Williamson as captain for NZ vs ENG ODI World Cup 2023 match

In Kane Williamson's temporary absence, Tom Latham will step into the role of captain for New Zealand in the ODI World Cup opener against England, slated for October 5 in Ahmedabad. Latham will also captain New Zealand in their two warm-up matches. Meanwhile, Williamson's primary objective is to prioritize his fitness, aiming to make a return in time for New Zealand's second World Cup encounter against the Netherlands on October 9.