Pakistan captain Babar Azam has sent well wishes for the quick recovery of New Zealand ODI skipper Kane Williamson after he injured his knee during an IPL match last week.
“Bounce back stronger. Get well soon Kane Williamson,” wrote Babar in a Twitter post n which he also shared an on-field photo with his New Zealand counterpart.
Bounce back stronger. Get well soon Kane Williamson pic.twitter.com/XSkMa70qXO
— Babar Azam (@babarazam258) April 6, 2023
Due to the injury, the Black Caps captain is likely to miss the ICC Cricket World Cup in India later this year as he will undergo knee surgery within the next three weeks after he was found to rupture the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee.
Typically, the injury takes around six-month rehabilitation, which means the BlackCaps captain will be in a tight spot ahead of the megaevent in terms of proving his fitness.
“Naturally it’s disappointing to get such an injury, but my focus now is on having the surgery and starting rehab,” he said.
“It’s going to take some time, but I’ll be doing everything I can to get back on the field as soon as possible.”
Williamson had landed awkwardly in the opening match of the Indian Premier League between Gujrat Titans and Chennai Super Kings. The injury ruled him out of Gujrat Titans for the entire IPL season this year.
However, the 32-year-old’s absence would be a major blow for his national side. The right-hander has scored more than 6000 ODI runs at an average of 47.83 in 161 ODI matches.
Under his captaincy, New Zealand finished as runner-up in the last edition of the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup in 2019. They lost to England in the epic final that went down to Super Over with the host eventually lifting the trophy on boundary count.
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