New Zealand’s cricket fraternity is closely monitoring the fitness progress of captain Kane Williamson, who has been given a crucial two-week timeframe to demonstrate his readiness for the upcoming one-day World Cup, scheduled to kick off in October. This announcement came from head coach Gary Stead on Monday.

Williamson suffered a setback when he tore the cruciate ligaments in his right knee during his stint with the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League in April. Despite the setback, the 33-year-old batsman has made significant strides in his recovery, even resuming batting practice in the nets. As a result, his inclusion in New Zealand’s 15-man World Cup squad is on the horizon.

Stead addressed the matter during interactions with New Zealand media, explaining, “We’ve got about two weeks from now until we name that side. We’re going to give him every chance to use that full amount of time. He’s in full rehab mode, he’s back batting in the nets again, which is great to see. He’s progressing really well, but there’s a lot of work for him still to do to make sure he gets where we need him to be.”

Having amassed over 6,500 runs in one-day international cricket and led New Zealand to a dramatic encounter against England in the 2019 World Cup final, Williamson’s prowess is undoubted. However, Stead stressed the balance between immediate tournament needs and the captain’s enduring career, saying, “Of course we want him at the World Cup, but there is that bigger picture that we want Kane Williamson fit for the rest of his career. There will be honest conversations that Kane and I will have around exactly where he is at.”

New Zealand is slated to face England in their opening World Cup match in Ahmedabad on October 5. As a part of his bid to return to full strength, Williamson is accompanying the squad on their white-ball tour of England.

Kane Williamson has stepped down as New Zealand Test captain and has been replaced by Tim Southee, the country’s cricket board (NZC) said on Thursday.

After taking charge in 2016 Williamson captained New Zealand in 40 Tests – with 22 wins, 10 defeats and eight draws – and led the team to victory over India in the inaugural World Test Championship final in 2021.

“For me, test cricket is the pinnacle of the game and I’ve enjoyed the challenges of leading the side in the format,” said Williamson.

“Captaincy comes with an increased workload on and off the field and at this stage of my career I feel the time is right for this decision.”
Williamson will remain New Zealand’s white-ball captain and he said he will continue to play in all three formats.
Southee, who stood in as captain for 22 Twenty20 internationals between 2017-21, will lead the test team on their next assignment – a two-match series in Pakistan starting later this month.

“It’s been a surreal few days and it’s just a massive honor to be appointed as test captain,” Southee said.

“I love test cricket, it’s the ultimate challenge and I’m really excited by the opportunity to lead the team in this format.”
NZC also announced their squad for the tour of Pakistan on Thursday, with spinner Ish Sodhi returning to the test team four years after his last appearance in the longest format.

Batsman Glenn Phillips, whose only previous test match appearance for New Zealand came against Australia in 2020, was also included in the squad, while fast bowlers Trent Boult (unavailable) and Kyle Jamieson (back injury) missed out.