The New Zealand cricket team is gearing up for the opening match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup as they held a practice session at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Wednesday in Ahmedabad.
The Kiwis will take on the defending champions, England, on Thursday in Ahmedabad. New Zealand’s regular skipper, Kane Williamson, will miss the opening match as he has yet to fully recover from injury. Stand-in captain Tom Latham will lead the side.
However, Latham expressed happiness that regular skipper Kane Williamson would be fit for the next few matches. He also praised Williamson’s batting in the nets, saying that he performed like he never left and is moving really well, playing all the shots he used to play.
In the first warm-up matches against Pakistan and South Africa, Williamson only played as a batter against Pakistan and batted and fielded against the Proteas. Williamson has not fully recovered from his injury.
“It is obviously great to see Kane back and to see him batting. It is like he had never left, to be honest, in terms of the bat. It is great to see him moving really well. He is playing all the shots that he used to play, which is great, and to see him back in the field is another stepping stone in terms of where he needs to get to in terms of his recovery. It is a day-by-day process with him making sure that whenever he is available, he has ticked off all that he needs to do,” said Latham.
Latham also said that pace spearhead Tim Southee is recovering from his injured thumb well. “He is tracking along really well. He is nearly two weeks post-surgery. So for him, it is a day-by-day process as well in terms of making sure that he is in the right frame in terms of bowling and fielding. I am sure once he gets back into his skill, he will be willing to go if that opportunity comes,” said the skipper.
