After feeling stiffness in his right hamstring during Sunday’s second Twenty20 International match between Pakistan and New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton, skipper Kane Williamson had to leave the game due to injury.
Williamson will not take the field again as a precaution, according to a statement from New Zealand Cricket (NZC), and Tim Southee will captain the team for the remainder of the game.
As a precaution, Kane Williamson will not play in the KFC T20I 2 in Hamilton. He retired hurt in the tenth over after feeling tightness in his right hamstring after a run. For the balance of the game, Tim Southee will assume the role of on-field captain, according to NZC.
Williamson was batting on 26 from 15 balls when he sustained the right hamstring strain, striking three fours and a six. Following the completion of the tenth over, visuals showed Williamson being attended to by the New Zealand physio while clutching his right hamstring. He ultimately walked off the field, and Daryl Mitchell batted in his stead.Williamson had recently returned from injury, having injured the ACL in his right knee while fielding for his club, the Gujarat Titans, in the first match of the IPL 2023. He recovered just in time after surgery to compete in the ODI World Cup in India in October-November of last year.
Williamson suffered a broken thumb while batting during the World Cup encounter against Bangladesh in Chennai, forcing him to miss four more games before returning for the fight against Pakistan in Bengaluru.
Williamson previously missed ODIs and T20Is against Bangladesh, and he is set to miss New Zealand’s third T20I against Pakistan at University of Otago Oval in Dunedin before returning for the final two games at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
