ICC World Cup 2023: Kane Williamson Ruled Out of the Second Match Against Netherlands

New Zealand captain, Kane Williamson, who was not part of the squad for the 2023 World Cup opener against England, will also be missing the second match against the Netherlands, set to be played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Monday, October 9.

Gary Stead, the head coach of the New Zealand team, shared this update regarding Kane Williamson and expressed optimism that Williamson will be available for their third match against Bangladesh.

“Kane’s been progressing very well,” New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said on Sunday (October 8) as reported by the ICC.

“I think the fielding is still the element for him that he’s just got to get a little bit higher, and he gets a little bit more trust in his body,” Stead added.

“But he’s progressing really well and we are pretty confident that he will be playing the third match for us,” added the New Zealand head coach.

With Williamson unavailable, Rachin Ravindra made his first-ever ODI World Cup appearance against England and the young batter did not disappoint either as he notched up the fastest World Cup century for New Zealand, remaining unbeaten with 123 runs off 96 balls.

Later, he was rightfully named the Player of the Match for his century and his bowling contribution, taking 1 wicket for 76 runs.

Apart from Ravindra, Devon Conway also stole the limelight with his unbeaten 152-run knock. The duo put on a record unbeaten 274-run partnership in Ahmedabad to help New Zealand register an easy nine wickets victory.