NZ vs SA: Kane Williamson Ruled Out of South Africa Face-off, Uncertain for Pakistan Game

Kane Williamson will continue to warm the bench when New Zealand takes on South Africa on Wednesday in Pune. The Black Caps captain has been ruled out of the game as he hasn’t recovered fully from the thumb injury sustained against Bangladesh in Chennai.

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) on Tuesday released an official statement, confirming Williamson’s unavailability for the games against the Proteas. The captain batted in the nets on Monday but didn’t seem match-ready. The NZC further stated that his condition will be assessed before the Kiwis take on Pakistan in their next fixture.

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“Kane Williamson has been ruled out of Wednesday’s @cricketworldcup match against South Africa,” the Instagram post of the Black Caps read.

“Williamson has batted in the nets the last two days but has been ruled out of a return to match action tomorrow,” it added.

Williamson suffered a blow on his left thumb while completing a run against Bangladesh. Later, the scans revealed that he picked up a fracture. In his absence, wicketkeeper-batter Tom Latham will continue leading the Kiwis against the Proteas.

The New Zealand captain had earlier suffered a hip injury in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 opener while representing the Gujarat Titans. He returned for the World Cup after regaining his fitness but coped with another blow right at the start of the tournament. Batting against Bangladesh, Williamson scored an unbeaten 78 off 107 balls before going off the park ‘retired hurt’.

New Zealand have been exceptional in the ongoing ODI World Cup, positioned in the top half of the points table. With four wins and losses, they are placed third in the table with eight points and a net run rate of +1.232. They started their campaign with a nine-wicket win over defending champions England, after which they thrashed the Netherlands and Bangladesh.

The Black Caps registered an impressive 149-run win over Afghanistan. However, they slipped to third position following the defeats at the hands of India and Australia.