Captain cranky: Elbow drain on Kane
From clashing with the physio to seeking advice from Sachin Tendulkar, keeping busy has at least been easy for Kane Williamson during the most frustrating period of his career.
The Black Caps skipper was this week ruled out of the two-test series against South Africa, still rehabilitating a troublesome — and troubling — left elbow injury.
The problem has lingered for 15 months, and while progress has been made, Williamson admits the period has been as mentally taxing as it has physically.
The 31-year-old managed the tendon issue with painkillers through the latter stages of the World Test Championship, taking a cortisone shot to play in the final, and it settled down with a lighter batting workload during the Twenty20 World Cup.
But having missed the second test in India and the drawn Bangladesh series while targeting a South African return, falling short of that goal has left him occasionally wondering whether the injury will go away.
“There is a large physical component to it, but mentally, you’re just bouncing all over the shop, thinking one moment, you’re here, and the next moment, you’re there, and when is it going to go?
“I’ve heard a number of stories from people who have got through it, and those were certainly encouraging at the start. I’m curious about my end point.”
Those stories have come from a number of cricketing peers, including Tendulkar and Steve Smith, who overcame similar injuries. Some players eventually had surgery but Williamson called that “an absolute last resort”, especially when recent signs were promising.
“What I can gather from talking to all the professionals is [surgery] doesn’t promise,” Williamson said. “And even after that, there’s a real requirement of rehab and specific loading. “Because it doesn’t promise, this is without doubt the preferred option at this point in time. Hopefully it’s the one that works.” Williamson knew he might now be reaping what was sown when he chose to play through the pain last year: “It’s not something I regret but something where I’m paying the price.” With the South African series gone, the new aim is to play limited-overs cricket against the Netherlands at the end of March, with the Indian Premier League then looming.
Williamson demurred when asked whether skipping that lucrative tournament would be wise, pointing out the lighter workload of white-ball cricket has never caused a problem.
The problem arises when preparing for long hours in the middle — or during recent weeks when he’s had “a few headbutts” with physios trying to limit his batting sessions and save him from himself.
With the Black Caps’ next test series set for June in England, Williamson will continue his “delicate” rehab and trust his comfort levels continue to improve.
There’s not really much other choice. “Cutting it off,” he joked. “I’ve thought about that a few times.”