New Zealand captain Kane Williamson retired hurt after scoring a half-century in his comeback match from a long injury layoff during the World Cup 2023 clash against Bangladesh in Chennai on Friday.
Featuring in his first official match since the IPL 2023 opener for Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad in March, Williamson struck a 81-ball half-century in New Zealand’s pursuit of a 246-run target.
While he initially bid time before picking up on the scoring rate, Williamson suffered a blow from the mid-off fielder on his left hand while attempting a single to the non-striker’s end in the 38th over. He was attended by the physios and continued to bat for another before deciding to retire hurt.
“Kane Williamson (78*) has been retired hurt as a precaution after being hit on his left thumb while running between the wickets,” Black Caps, New Zealand’s social media wrote on X.
Earlier this year, Williamson suffered a massive setback during his first IPL match for Gujarat. Williamson ruptured his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) while attempting to save a boundary against Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium, effectively ruling him out any cricket for nearly six months.
Williamson had turned out for the Kiwis in the warm-up games, scoring 54 not out and 37, before ruling himself out of New Zealand’s first two league-stage wins against England and Netherlands.
New Zealand eventually sealed the chase by a comfortable eight-wicket margin, with Daryl Mitchell remaining unbeaten on 89 off just 66 balls.
