New Zealand captain Kane Williamson confirmed that his persistent elbow issue is now “improving” as he and his team are set to open their campaign in the T20 World Cup 2021 on Tuesday.
Ahead of the all-important Pakistan clash in Sharjah, SRH man hinted that his extended rehab is bearing good fruits and he is in a much better position to take the field and bat, although there are still certain “challenges”.
“My elbow is improving. It’s just been an ongoing sort of challenge to deal with it regarding loading and these sorts of things. It’s just a work in progress. But I think all in all, it’s showing improvement, which is good,”
he said in an ICC media release.
Williamson has been battling this elbow problem for a while now. The Kiwi skipper and batting great has had to take extra precaution and timely breaks to ensure he is able to take the park and avoid any immediate surgery.
The 31-year-old had to be rested for NZ’s home series against Bangladesh earlier this year. He subsequently missed the start of the IPL 2021 in April for Sunrisers Hyderabad and also opted out of the second Test against England in Edgbaston in June.
Williamson has been finding it difficult to play his strokes throughout this phase, which was evident in the IPL 2021. Playing for the Sunrisers, though he averaged 44.33, the experienced right-hander had a strike-rate of only 113.19.
But still, Williamson’s presence is a big boost for New Zealand, who have their work cut out facing a confident Pakistan side in Sharjah. On a dry spin-friendly track, the Kiwis need their captain and best player of spin to lead the side from the front, especially against a side that just defeated one of the tournament favourites.
“We saw the best out of Pakistan in their last match against India, which was a fantastic performance,”
Williamson said, adding that his team’s immediate focus is on ensuring they “adjust to the conditions” as quickly as possible.
