Williamson taking it ‘week to week’ as he races against time to get fit for ODI World Cup

Wellington, Jun 26 (PTI) Kane Williamson remains hopeful of taking part in the ODI World Cup in India later this year as he continues his recovery from an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury he had suffered in the IPL.

New Zealand’s limited overs captain had ruptured his ACL while fielding for Gujarat Titans in the IPL opener against Chennai Super Kings on March 31.

Williamson is not looking too far ahead and is assessing his recovery on a weekly basis. The ICC event will be played in October-November.

“Very much just trying to keep it week-to-week at the moment. I haven’t had such a long-term injury before but talking to other people that have, the journey is a bit of a long one so if you look too far ahead, it probably can become a little bit daunting,” Williamson was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.com on Monday.

“Whereas, one week at a time, ticking off those small markers, those little wins that are nice to experience. But also knowing that the journey won’t be completely smooth and you have a few setbacks along the way that you have to navigate.”

Williamson had played part a crucial role in New Zealand’s campaign in 2015 and 2019 editions when they reached successive finals.

“Probably more for sanity and changing things up… just nice to mix up all the gym work and the physio work and rehab specific stuff to spend a bit of time with some of the other guys that are training. Super keen to get back in the nets, for sure,” he added.

The 32-year-old is among the best batters in the world, having amassed 17142 internationals runs across formats. He has represented New Zealand in 94 Tests, 161 ODIs and 87 T20 Internationals.