Kane Williamson ruled out of World Cup 2023 opener against England, New Zealand issue latest fitness update

Williamson has been on the sidelines due to a ruptured ACL, which he sustained during the IPL in early April.

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has been ruled out of World Cup 2023 opener against defending champions England, which will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The New Zealand management released an official statement on the subject, providing details about Williamson's recovery.

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson during practice(Reuters)

As per the release, Williamson will take part as a “batsman-only” in the warm-up fixture against Pakistan, which is scheduled to be played on Friday afternoon in Hyderabad. Wicketkeeper-batter Tom Latham will be leading the unit in place of Williamson.

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The management, however, will try to check his fitness in the following warm-up fixture against South Africa in Trivandrum, where he will be both batting and fielding.

“Right from the start we’ve taken a long-term view on Kane’s return to play. His recovery is tracking well and it’s now a matter of making sure he can cope with the rigours and intensity of international cricket.

“We’ll continue to take a day by day approach to Kane’s rehabilitation and certainly won’t be putting any pressure on him to return before he is ready,” coach Gary Stead was quoted as saying in the official release.

Kane Williamson's injury

Williamson has been on the sidelines due to a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), which he sustained during the Indian Premier League (IPL) in early April.

Williamson had injured himself while fielding for Gujarat Titans, which had cast doubt over his participation in the World Cup. Williamson underwent a surgery in the same month and has since shown encouraging signs to be fit for the World Cup.