After several months of anxious rehabilitation, uncertainty about his participation, gentle training, and two well-managed warm-up matches, Kane Williamson is now fully fit and ready to take the field. When he steps out to play against Bangladesh in Chennai, it will mark his fourth appearance in an ODI World Cup. This achievement places him among a select group of only 20 players in cricket history who have participated in more World Cup editions.
Kane’s recovery from a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the opening night of IPL 2023 has been remarkably swift, given that he had to undergo surgery. Remarkably, five months later, he was included in the World Cup squad despite initial expectations that he would miss the tournament. Just one month later, he is prepared to represent New Zealand in a World Cup match. In Kane’s own words, these past few months have been quite a remarkable journey for him.
“At first, it wasn’t really on the cards,” Williamson said of his World Cup selection. “Honestly, it was probably beneficial to focus on my daily rehab routine and not rush things. That was my primary focus. I was fortunate to have an excellent support team back home, and I was also lucky not to encounter many setbacks during that time. So, taking many small steps forward, which ultimately led me to this point and the realization that if things continued to progress well each week, and I checked off all those milestones along the way, of which there were many, there might be a chance. I’m grateful that it all came together, and being named in the squad was a truly exciting moment.”
Upon arriving in India, Kane participated in a warm-up match against Pakistan as a batsman only, scoring a brilliant fifty at a brisk pace. He was seen with some strapping on his right leg and appeared to have some difficulty running between the wickets on a couple of occasions. In the subsequent warm-up game against South Africa, Kane scored 37 off 51 before retiring hurt. Notably, he fielded for 25 overs for the first time since his injury.
While it was previously announced that Kane would miss the World Cup opener, it wasn’t the injury itself that prevented him from playing the second match against the Netherlands. According to head coach Gary Stead, Kane was still building “a little more trust” in his body at that time and needed additional time to work on his fielding and running abilities.
Kane reflected on his recovery journey, saying, “My recovery has been quite a journey, but overall, it’s been a positive one with significant progress. The rehabilitation process was a series of small steps, initially focusing on strengthening and regaining mobility in the knee and gradually managing pain as the workload increased. We could delve into the details all day (smiles), but let’s fast forward a bit.
“It’s great to be here and participate in those enjoyable warm-up games. During and after those matches, there was a focus on returning to full fitness, particularly in terms of fielding, being on my feet, and executing specific skills. Each week over the past period while I’ve been rehabbing has been crucial and valuable. We had specific milestones to reach, supported by data from other sports, including various strength and fitness metrics, jumping, and a variety of other measurements.”
Kane participated in optional afternoon training sessions held the day before the game. When asked about his progress in fielding, he mentioned that he’s generally feeling good, but there might be occasional adjustments made by other players regarding fielding positions.