Kane Williamson hits the nets for first time since knee surgery

In a piece of positive news for New Zealand Cricket and their fans, Kane Williamson was seen smacking a few deliveries in the nets for the first time since his surgery on his ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) on his right knee. Williamson suffered the injury while representing Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 earlier this year.

Williamson shared a video of him having a bat in the nets with a caption that read, "Nice to be back in the nets with the bat in hand for a few throws."

Williamson as a result is set to be out of action for a considerable amount of time, even putting his World Cup aspirations in jeopardy. However, New Zealand head coach Gary Stead has not ruled out the skipper's participation in the upcoming mega event.

"Our line around Kane, at the moment, is still it's unlikely that he will be available, but we certainly don't want to rule out a person of his class and calibre, and the things he brings to this team, too early in case there is that chance still," Stead said in April.

According to various reports, Williamson will travel with the team to India in October-November for the World Cup but in the capacity of a mentor, if he fails to meet the required fitness levels to participate in it. 

New Zealand take on defending champions England in the first game of the tournament on October 5 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.