Williamson to give third T20 a miss
The Black Caps are set to be without captain Kane Williamson as they look to tie up their Twenty20 series against India – but that might be what they need to get their batting lineup firing.
NZ Cricket announced yesterday that Williamson would miss tonight’s third and final match at McLean Park in Napier, which the Black Caps need to win to ensure the series finishes tied 1-1.
Williamson will instead ‘‘attend a pre-arranged medical appointment’’ and rejoin his team-mates in Auckland ahead of the threematch one-day international series that starts on Friday. Tim Southee will skipper the side.
Coach Gary Stead said the appointment was unrelated to Williamson’s historic elbow injury, which troubled him for a year from early 2021 to early 2022.
‘‘Kane’s been trying to get this booked in for a while now, but unfortunately it hasn’t been able to fit into our schedule.The health and well-being of our players and staff is paramount, and we look forward to seeing him in Auckland.’’
Mark Chapman will join the Black Caps in Napier and could slot straight into the New Zealand XI, with Michael Bracewell – who would offer another bowling option – the other contender.
Williamson top-scored with an innings of 61 off 52 balls as the Black Caps failed to chase down 192 against India in the second T20 at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Sunday, finishing all out for 126.
But he spent most of his time at the crease with his strike rate hovering around 100, or a run a ball, when his side needed to be scoring at double that.
That was not the first time Williamson’s scoring rate – and the pressure it puts on those around him – has come into question in recent weeks.
He was similarly slow in his side’s loss to England at the World Cup in Australia earlier this month, where they fell 21 runs short chasing 180.
Williamson’s absence from tonight’s match ensures there won’t be a third instance of him
clogging up the works in a run chase in the space of three weeks, but his team-mates will have to do better than they did on Sunday if they’re to avoid a series defeat. The captain didn’t have much in the way of support, with Devon Conway’s 25 off 22 the next-highest score as they sought to respond to an Indian innings fuelled by Suryakumar Yadav’s breathtaking knock of 111 off 51.
Finn Allen has failed to build on his breakthrough innings against Australia at the World Cup, while Jimmy Neesham also hasn’t made the contributions he would have liked to – though he has had to come in to bat in some tough situations as a result of his team-mates’ slow-going at the top of the order.
If Stead looks to make changes beyond replacing Williamson, it might be Neesham who makes way, giving both Bracewell and Chapman the chance to play and audition for greater roles.