Kane Williamson ruled out of Bangladesh ODIs
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has been ruled out of the upcoming ODI series this month against Bangladesh with an elbow injury. Williamson has a small tear in his left elbow tendon that he battled throughout the second half of New Zealand's summer. Williamson returned to action in time for New Zealand's recent 3-2 T20I series win over Australia. Here are the details.
Kane needs a period of rest and rehabilitation
NZC Medical Manager Dayle Shackel said Kane's elbow injury hasn't improved. "Kane's been managing the elbow injury to varying degrees this summer and unfortunately it hasn't improved. He obviously has a high volume of training and playing across the three formats, which has inhibited his ability to recover. We believe he now needs a period of rest and rehabilitation to get the injury right."
Gary Stead feels it's the right decision
New Zealand coach Gary Stead said that while Kane's presence will be missed, this was ultimately the right decision. "Kane loves playing for his country - so it hasn't been an easy decision to step back," Stead said. "A batsman's front elbow is crucial to his game and with the injury not improving it was clear something needed to be done."
Kane could begin rehab from next week
Shackel added that Kane could begin rehab next week. "Time-frames can vary but we're hopeful that, after an initial rest, he should be able to begin rehabilitation next week," said Shackel.
New Zealand want a fit Kane for World Test Championship
With New Zealand set to tour England, besides being in the final of the ICC World Test Championship, Stead said NZ want a fit Kane. "We've got a huge year of cricket ahead with an England Test tour and ICC World Test Championship Final first up in May and June, and we want to make sure we have Kane fit and firing for that."
Details about the NZ-Bangladesh ODI series
New Zealand and Bangladesh will play three ODIs, starting March 20. The second and third ODIs will be played on March 23 and 26 respectively. Meanwhile, the New Zealand squad will be named on Thursday.
