Captain fires warning shot
Williamson has no worries over his recovery from left pectoral injury
Cricketing purists can rest easy. Kane Williamson’s 360-degree array of shots won’t be scarred by the left pectoral injury he suffered at the end of the home summer.
The New Zealand captain has struggled for runs in his recovery, scoring 55 from six innings as the skipper of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League. Adjusting his cricketing movements to compensate proved niggly.
He says the problem should be a distant memory when the World Cup starts this month.
“[The injury] was rare in the sense it was uncommon, but essentially it was just a muscle tear.
“It was about trying to work out the best way to rehab.”
In contrast to Williamson’s form blip, Australian bad boy David Warner has scored a league-leading 692 runs in 12 innings. That follows a year-long suspension from international and domestic cricket for his role in ball-tampering against South Africa during a test at Cape Town.
Williamson’s still ahead in their shared love of darts, and says the pair’s mutual respect has never wavered.
“The relationship’s always been there, because we’ve played together a number of years. He has been fantastic back helping guys in the environment.
“His own form has been prolific. He’s picked up where he left off; a world class player.”
Williamson has also introduced
[The injury] was rare in the sense it was uncommon, but essentially it was just a muscle tear. It was about trying to work out the best way to rehab.
Kane Williamson
teammate and Indian wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha to the Kiwi anthem
Slice Of Heaven during the tournament. When the New Zealand captain spoke to the Herald from Mumbai Airport a refrain of “da, da, da, ba, du” could be heard wafting across the departure lounge. Dave Dobbyn might want to check his royalties this week.
Williamson’s also keeping a close eye on the likes of 20-year-old leg spinning teammate Rashid Khan among his flock.
The world’s third-best ODI and best T20 bowler has been central to Afghanistan flourishing on the international stage and returning for a second World Cup.
New Zealand play them third at the tournament on June 8, at spinfriendly Taunton in Somerset where Rashid could blossom.
Williamson acknowledges the Black Caps need to be wary.
“To come up against Rashid would be a big but enjoyable challenge, given the pace he bowls, his ability to disguise deliveries and spin the ball both ways. That makes him a threat.”