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Recovering Williamson ruled out of South Africa clash

Last updated on: November 01, 2023 00:06 IST

IMAGE: New Zealand captain Kane Williamson fractured his thumb during a match against Bangladesh. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Reuters

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson was ruled out of Wednesday's match against South Africa in Pune after failing to recover from his injury.

 

Williamson fractured his thumb during a match against Bangladesh this month forcing him to miss New Zealand's last three matches against Afghanistan, India and Australia.

"Kane Williamson has been ruled out of Wednesday’s match against @ProteasMenCSA. Williamson has batted in the nets the last two days but has been ruled out of a return to match action tomorrow. He will be assessed again ahead of the side’s next match against @TheRealPCB," Black Caps said on X.

Tom Latham, who took over the captaincy in Williamson's absence, told reporters on Tuesday that the injured players' progress was being monitored on a day-to-day basis.

"We'll obviously get through hopefully a bit of work today and then we'll see how they pull up from a selection point of view," the wicketkeeper-captain said.

"Lockie went off in the last game with a bit of an Achilles' niggle, so fingers crossed he'll be fine for tomorrow."

Ferguson was injured during Saturday's high-scoring game against Australia which New Zealand lost by five runs, falling to fourth on the table. All-rounder Chapman missed the game due to a calf injury.

Replacing Chapman, Neesham produced a gutsy half-century to nearly pull off an improbable victory.

"We've got a few guys to get through a few fitness tests and I guess once we train, we'll have a clearer idea of what the 11 looks like," Latham said.

"So fingers crossed, all those guys can get through a bit of work today at training and be ready to go tomorrow."

The Black Caps face in-form South Africa who have climbed to second in the table with three straight wins.