Kane WIlliamson returned from injury against Bangladesh. Photo / Photosport
Kane WIlliamson returned from injury against Bangladesh. Photo / Photosport
Kane Williamson is back in the runs at the Cricket World Cup — now the unbeaten Black Caps will hope he’s not heading back to the casualty ward.
The skipper experienced a conflicting return this morning after more than six months on the sidelines, hitting a half-century to help the Black Caps earn an eight-wicket win over Bangladesh before retiring hurt late in the contest.
It wasn’t his surgically repaired right knee that forced Williamson from the field in Chennai but a painful blow to the left thumb from an errant throw, ending his innings on 78.
The 33-year-old continued to bat for a few overs after receiving initial treatment, but with the Black Caps comfortably on track to overhaul Bangladesh’s 245-9, he eventually succumbed to await the results of an X-ray on the damaged digit.
“Got a bit fat and colourful straightaway,” Williamson told the TV broadcast. “Just made holding the bat a little difficult.”
The new injury clouded what had been an encouraging comeback appearance. Williamson stroked eight boundaries and a six during his 107-ball stay, combining with Daryl Mitchell (89no off 67) in an unbroken match-winning stand of 108.
He appeared occasionally unsteady when turning for a second run but lacked nothing in timing with the bat, accumulating easily all around the ground
Williamson earlier fielded for 50 overs without incident in his first official match since rupturing his ACL, as Lockie Ferguson (3-49) led a pace attack that effectively utilised bounce to set up a third straight victory.
After facing Afghanistan on Wednesday, the Black Caps enter the segment of the schedule that will determine their semifinal fate, starting with a showdown against hosts India next Saturday.
Now a third of the way through the group stage, Gary Stead’s side appear strong contenders to reach the knockout round for a sixth straight white-ball World Cup, though may be sweating once more on Williamson.
With Will Young coming out of the XI after scoring 70 against the Netherlands, New Zealand at least have a replacement ready were Williamson to miss time.
Rachin Ravindra batted at No 3 while scoring an unbeaten hundred to beat England and a half-century in victory over the Dutch, before being promoted to open for the first time in his ODI career.
That coincided with the 23-year-old’s first cheap dismissal at the tournament, seeing Williamson head to the crease and begin with caution in the third over.
The captain required 17 balls to score his second run as New Zealand crept to 36-1 after 10 overs. But after finally freeing his hands to carve a boundary through point, Williamson soon discovered his peerless touch.
He used his feet on a few occasions to collect boundaries down the ground while showing trademark timing to play late behind square, picking gaps and offering the opposition only one real chance.
That was spilled at midwicket by a diving Taskin Ahmed when Williamson was on 27, a tough catch that needed to be taken considering the sub-par total on the board.
Joined by Mitchell, who came out swinging when Devon Conway fell for a scratchy 45, Williamson continued his unflustered run-scoring, reaching a 43rd ODI half-century. Coming after he scored 91 runs without being dismissed in two warm-up games, any rust had clearly long been batted out in the nets.
Williamson acknowledges his half-century. Photo / Photosport
The focus, however, will now switch from right knee to left hand, with Williamson watching on as Mitchell and Glenn Phillips cruised past the target in the 43rd over.
Such a result seemed likely when Bangladesh, having been asked to bat, were reduced to 56-4 in the 13th over.
By that point, Trent Boult had removed Litton Das from the opening ball of the match, Ferguson had snared two quick scalps and Phillips had cemented his burgeoning golden-arm reputation by striking from his first delivery.
But that dismissal was the exception on a surface playing differently to the adjacent track suiting spin when India eased past Australia at the same venue, with the Black Caps adapting well and employing the short ball to good effect.
Only Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim provided resistance, putting together a 96-run stand for the fifth wicket. When the former top-edged a Ferguson bouncer and wicketkeeper Tom Latham covered plenty of ground to take a tumbling catch outside the circle, Bangladeshi hopes of a big score were quashed.
Boult became the sixth Black Caps bowler to register 200 ODI wickets — from 107 matches, the third-quickest in world cricket to reach that milestone — while Mitchell Santner (1-31) ended another fine spell with reward from his final ball.
