NZ want Kane Williamson to attend in a mentoring role: Kiwi coach Gary Stead
New Zealand’s skipper and batting great Kane Williamson may not be able to be a part of the upcoming ODI World Cup as a batter due to injury but according to Kiwi coach Gary Stead, chance are the team management may engage Williamson as a mentor.
“It’s still far too early to know. To date what we know, that’s been successful. He’s in the very early early stages of his rehab programme. It’s obviously pretty weight-bearing at this stage and he’s in a brace,” Stead told media on Wednesday.
“It’s really just meeting milestones as we go. It’s unlikely that he will be available, but we certainly don’t want to rule out a person of his class and calibre and the things that he brings to this team too early in case there is that chance,” he added.
Williamson sustained a severe knee injury while on debut for the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League last month and underwent successful surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee.
Mark Chapman may replace Williamson in the World Cup squad after his strong showing in the recent Twenty20 series against Pakistan earned him a place in the ODI series starting this week. The left-hander scored 290 runs in the five match series at a strike rate of 166, including an unbeaten century in the final game.
“It’s not just about one knock of Mark Chapman, why he was added to the ODI squad, but there is a lot of competition for places. It’s not so much about the competition, but it’s how we keep building towards the World Cup and Mark Chapman is still one guy that is in our thoughts around that,” Stead added.
