Kane Williamson to be ruled out of South Africa Tests? New Zealand coach delivers jaw dropping update

New Zealand head coach Gary Stead has expressed confidence that Kane Williamson will recover in time for the upcoming two-match Test series against South Africa. The New Zealand captain is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury. He played in the first two games of the recently-concluded five-match T20I series against Pakistan and sustained the injury during the second T20I. Kane Williamson has had a tough year on the injury front in 2023.

He sustained a serious knee injury in the very first game of IPL 2023 and remained on the sidelines for a month. His participation in the ODI World Cup looked doubtful but he managed to recover in time for the marquee event. During the World Cup, he suffered another injury when he was hit on his thumb by a throw and had to miss several games.

Gary Stead on Kane Williamson’s injury:

The ongoing year has also started on a similar note for the New Zealand batting mainstay. And as Kane Williamson tries to recover quickly, Stead is confident the batter would be fit in time for the first Test, starting on February 4 in Mount Maunganui.

“I’m confident he will be alright,” Stead said. “He’s probably got another day or two before he starts back into training and it was a minor niggle, which is a good thing.

“So, we didn’t want to aggravate it and didn’t see the point of aggravating it with the important series that are ahead. He’s obviously a key player and we know that and we want to make sure we’ve given him every chance of being available,” he added.

Speaking further, Stead also said that he is hopeful of Tom Blundell being fit for the series-opener against the Proteas. The wicketkeeper has not played a game for the Black Caps since the Napier ODI in December last year. He is currently recovering from a lower-body injury. In case, Blundell fails to recover in time for the first Test, Cam Fletcher or Dane Cleaver could replace him.

“It’s something again we’re discussing at the moment: what’re the options if Tom is not right,” Stead said. “If it’s a one-off Test, do you keep it or do you skin it a little bit differently and keep the squad similar. We’ve got different options, but those guys are the key ones at the top of our list.”