In a recent update, New Zealand’s cricket team captain, Kane Williamson, shared insights about his journey to regain fitness for the upcoming ICC Men’s ODI World Cup in India. Despite acknowledging the tough nature of his recovery from surgery for an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in his right knee, Williamson expressed cautious optimism. He emphasized his focus on achieving small milestones in his rehabilitation process.
Kane Williamson said, “to be at the World Cup is always special. The chances are obviously slim, it’s a tough goal. However trying my best”. pic.twitter.com/s4LRgab26d
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“Yeah, good, just kind of on that same journey path really where there’s been some nice little progressions and working through some of those little milestones and return to the running phase, which I am in at the moment,” Williamson said of his recovery as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
“It has been nice to get back on the feet a little bit more and sort of get more into the net sessions and get slightly more involved as well. [There is] definitely more movement. I suppose that’s almost the name of the game…let’s get the strength and the movement to improve throughout. It is obviously a bit of a slow journey, as a number of others are experiencing,” he added.
Following his surgery in April, Williamson is racing against time to ensure his readiness for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup scheduled for October-November in India. He reported notable improvement in his knee’s movement, although he advised against excessive optimism at this stage of his recovery.
“To be at the World Cup is always special. It’s still just guesswork at the moment in terms of when the day is or how it’s tracking at the time,” Williamson told reporters at Bay Oval about where he stands with regard to a potential comeback.
“There’s a lot of work to do. I am just really following the program, with the professionals for physio, the support staff and New Zealand cricket. And it’s tough, because you do have some good days, and then you have a few variable ones. However, something like that [World Cup] in the back of your mind is obviously motivating and you want to keep seeing those improvements,” Williamson said.
Williamson highlighted his commitment to the recovery process but indicated that participating in New Zealand’s three One-Day Internationals against Bangladesh before the World Cup might be premature. While keeping his options open, he hinted that it could be too early for his return.
“It’s a tricky one – you start entertaining a few earlier targets. It is a lot about the healing element as well. You can have the strength work, the movement, the confidence, but the actual healing is what has to happen and there are a lot of things to really assess before that time. So, that [Bangladesh] series, by all accounts, is too early,” he said.
