New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson will miss his side's second match in the ICC World Cup 2023 on Monday against the Netherlands, coach Gary Stead confirmed on Sunday.
The prolific right-hander also missed his side's opening match win against England as he continues to recover from an ACL injury.
“Kane’s also been progressing very well – I think the fielding is still the element for him that he’s just got to get a little bit higher and get a little more trust in his body,” Stead said.
The coach was hopeful that Williamson will recover in time to play in New Zealand’s third match of the tournament against Bangladesh on Friday.
Test captain Tim Southee’s availability for Monday’s clash will be determined after an X-ray later today.
Meanwhile, a decision on speedster Lockie Ferguson’s inclusion will be taken after Sunday’s training session.
It must be noted that New Zealand thumped England by nine wickets in the opening match of ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023 in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
The centuries from Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra put the defending champions on the backfoot completely in chase of 283.
Conway and Ravindra added 273 unbeaten runs in 211 balls for the second wicket partnership to power their side to a comprehensive victory.
Conway smashed 152 runs in 121 balls, meanwhile Ravindra scored 123 in 96.
Earlier, England’s Joe Root made 77 in an otherwise inconsistent batting display by holders England, who posted 282-9 against New Zealand in the first match of the 50-over World Cup.
“It was a great way to start the tournament,” Stead said of the win over England.
“To put out the performance we did was probably one of the most pleasing games I've seen in ODI cricket that we've played. We stuck to our guns, we played the style we wanted to play and we put England under pressure in our own ways.
“What Devon and Rachin did was simply magnificent, the way they batted, the partnership they put together was I think something pretty special that we'll look back in a number of years and say 'wow, that was really impressive'.”
- Kane Williamson
