Kane Williamson to be selected in World Cup squad

Regular Black Caps white ball captain Kane Williamson will be included in the 15-man squad for the Cricket World Cup in India as he continues to recover from knee surgery.

After injuring his knee playing in the IPL in March, Williamson has made sufficient progress in his recovery to allow him to be included in the squad for the tournament starting in October. Williamson was named player of the tournament at the 2019 World Cup, scoring centuries against South Africa and West Indies, after leading the side to the final against England.

His last ODI was against Pakistan in January when New Zealand claimed a first series win in the sub-continent since 2008.

Black Caps coach Gary Stead said while Williamson’s selection doesn’t guarantee he will be available for the first match, he continues to make strong progress in his recovery.

“Kane has applied phenomenal dedication to his rehabilitation and has been supported by a strong group of experts around him. He’s left no stone unturned in trying to get back playing cricket at the highest level. We are delighted to be in a place to select him.

“At the same time, he’s also kept perspective about his recovery and hasn’t wanted to rush or force his way back too early. As we’ve previously said, it’s great he wants to play cricket for New Zealand in the long term.”

Stead noted there wasn’t a specific match timeline on Williamson’s return to play.

“As we’ve said throughout this process we want to give Kane every bit of available time to aid his recovery. The World Cup is not a short tournament and we will continue to monitor his progress over the next month ahead of the first tournament match.”

Williamson himself said he was delighted to be in a position to take part in what will be his fourth One Day Cricket World Cup.

“Through this entire process I have tried to keep an open mind on when I might be able to return to cricket and not get too focused on one date or match. Being selected doesn’t change that and I know there’s still work to do and day-by-day goals to tick off to get back on the field with the team.”

The remainder of the Black Caps ICC Cricket World Cup Squad for India will be named on September 11 at an event in Auckland at Papatoetoe High School, Ish Sodhi’s old school.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission