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Williamson to miss World Cup opener
DHAKA ﻿SATURDAY﻿ ﻿SEPTEMBER﻿ ﻿30﻿, ﻿2023﻿, ASHWIN 15, 1430 BS
AFP, Hyderabad
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson will miss the opening match of the ODI World Cup next week to recover from a knee injury, the country’s cricket board said Friday.
Williamson was part of the team’s Friday warm-up match against Pakistan in Hyderabad but only as a batsman and will aim to bat and field in the second warm-up fixture on Monday.
New Zealand cricket said in a statement that the captain would “continue to progress his knee rehabilitation”.
“Right from the start we’ve taken a long-term view on Kane’s return to play,” head coach Gary Stead said.
“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,” he added.
“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.”
Wicketkeeper-batsman Tom Latham is leading New Zealand against Pakistan.
Williamson was included in the team despite concerns over his injury from this year’s Indian Premier League.
He comes off a six-month lay-off as New Zealand look to build on their runners-up finish in the last edition of the 50-over World Cup in 2019, when they lost a dramatic final to England.
The Black Caps will play their second and final warm-up against South Africa in Thiruvananthapuram before the tournament opener on October 5 in Ahmedabad.

Rain frustrates Proteas, Afghans
AFP, Thiruvananthapuram
The World Cup warm-up match between South Africa and Afghanistan at Thiruvananthapuram was abandoned without a ball being bowled on Friday.
Heavy rain frustrated both sides who now have one further warm-up to get the plans in order before the tournament gets underway next week.
The Proteas, whose captain Temba Bavuma has had to travel home for family reasons, will hope the weather improves in Thiruvananthapuram before their final warm-up against New Zealand on Monday.
Bavuma is expected to re-join the squad for South Africa’s opening match of the tournament against Sri Lanka in Delhi on October 7.
Afghanistan have a final warm-up against Sri Lanka in Guwahati on Tuesday before opening their tournament against Bangladesh in Dharamshala, also on October 7.