Kane Williamson Set To Play Warm Up Matches In ICC World Cup 2023, Says 'To Get As Much Out Of It As I Can'

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson is gearing up for his return to the field in the warm-up matches leading up to the ICC World Cup 2023. Kane Williamson emphasized that the warm-up matches would be crucial in assessing his readiness for the marquee event.

Kane Williamson returned to New Zealand’s World Cup squad after a prolonged injury layoff. The right-handed batter sustained a knee injury during the IPL 2023 earlier this year. The skipper joined the national team for his fourth World Cup appearance in ODIs.

Strong Desire To Be Involved As Much As I Can – Kane Williamson

Kane Williamson expressed his strong desire to be actively involved in the team’s preparation for the upcoming tournament, focusing on improving his fitness, fielding, and batting.

“There is a strong desire to be involved as much as I can. Basically, it’s just wanting to progress what I am doing now – the running, the fielding, time in the middle with the bat,” said Kane, as quoted by Cricbuzz.

“Although it’s going well, you still have days that vary a little bit. So it’s working through those warm-up games to get as much out of it as I can, and as a team, without bothering it too much. Although the load is going to keep increasing, so there is a little bit of an unknown. But it has felt pretty good really in the last few weeks,” he added.

Kane Williamson underwent ACL knee surgery in April 2023 and resumed batting practice in July. His successful recovery enabled him to rejoin New Zealand’s World Cup squad.

We Will Definitely Consider Change Field Position – Kane Williamson

The 33-year-old revealed that he is considering a change in his fielding position, intending to field inside the circle after his return to the field.

“We will definitely consider some of that. Where I field is usually at mid-off, which will probably remain the case. Probably slightly better suited to it than square of the wicket. Potentially some slip, but I won’t be standing there if we don’t require one,” he further added.

The Kane Williamson-led team is scheduled to play their first warm-up match against Pakistan in Hyderabad on September 29. They will compete against South Africa in the next match in Thiruvananthapuram on October 2.

Also read: Kane Williamson Expresses Excitement To Make Comeback For New Zealand During ICC World Cup 2023