Follow UsNew Zealand head coach Gary Stead has confirmed that Kane Williamson and Tim Southee could feature in the Bangladesh game in Chennai on Friday (October 13). The Black Caps have played their first two encounters of the 2023 World Cup without these two but have still managed to win both their games.
Williamson damaged his ACL on his right knee during the Indian Premier League (IPL) earlier this year and was named in the New Zealand squad after a few sessions ahead of the mega event. The right-handed batter did play well in the warm-up matches, scoring 54 and 37 against Pakistan and South Africa, respectively. Meanwhile, Southee came into the tournament following surgery on his fractured thumb.
"Kane has been progressing very very well. He's had a great last five or six days, really went about the fielding aspect of things. That's the key thing for Kane at the moment. It's not about his injury so much now, it's his ability to run between the wickets and to field and to consistently do that over a 50-over game. We're delighted with where he's at,” said Stead.
"We've got two more trainings still to get through but at this stage all things are looking good for Kane to return in this game. But we still say that with an air of caution but we're really pleased with the way he has been coming on."
Talking about Southee, Stead said: “Tim will be available for selection, he's been tracking well. Looks like the thumb has set very very well. He has been bowling at full intensity for the last couple of training sessions so he is certainly available for selection."
Stead, however, didn’t say who will go out once Williamson is back. Rachin Ravindra has batted at No. 3 in the first two games and done quite well, scoring 174 runs at a strike rate of 118.36. "If Kane is available, he will play. There is no doubt about that. He is one of the best players in the world. The discussions we are having at the moment is like how does that still fit?" Stead said.
"For example, we played Jimmy Neesham in the first game but not the second. That was around the conditions we thought best suited the team at the time. That's the ongoing discussion we have around every single game and also looking at the opposition and who we feel gives us the right balance in each situation."