ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: [WATCH]: Kane Williamson Sustains Injury On His Thumb In The Match Against Bangladesh

New Zealand’s captain Kane Williamson could be facing another injury setback after being struck on the thumb during the 2023 World Cup match against Bangladesh at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. As a result of this blow, Williamson left the field and retired hurt, not returning to bat for the rest of the match.

In the 39th over of New Zealand’s innings, Kane Williamson, aged 33, played a shot to mid-off and attempted to take a single. However, the fielder at mid-off attempted to throw the ball at the stumps, and it hit Williamson’s thumb, causing him pain.

After the blow to his thumb, the cricketer from Tauranga received medical attention but chose to leave the field. At that point, he was batting well on 78 runs and had hoped to see his team through in the chase of a relatively modest target of 246.

In the end, Daryl Mitchell remained not out with 89 runs, leading New Zealand to their third tournament victory with 8 wickets in hand and 43 balls to spare. However, it was Devon Conway who set the stage with a 45-run innings from 59 balls, and Kane Williamson contributed significantly with a partnership of 108 runs alongside Mitchell.

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This marked Williamson’s tournament debut as he missed the initial two matches due to a knee injury sustained earlier this year. Lockie Ferguson was awarded the Player of the Match for his performance, taking 3 wickets with figures of 10-0-49.

“Hopefully, it’s okay” – Kane Williamson thoughts on his thumb injury

Kane Williamson mentioned at the post-match presentation that he would undergo a scan the following day. Regarding New Zealand’s performance, he noted that the pitch had some inconsistencies with its bounce but considered it a highly competitive game.

“Just got a bit fat and colourful straight away so got a scan tomorrow, but hopefully it’s okay. I thought the guys in the first half of the performance were excellent. They just banged the wicket hard, it was a bit variable.”

”And then later it was nice to build those partnerships and take the game late. Midway through the powerplay we realised that we should hit the surface. Not a bad surface, and a really good competitive wicket.”

With a flawless record of three victories, the Black Caps lead the table and are poised to take on Afghanistan in their forthcoming match on October 18 in Chennai.

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