HAMILTON – Former New Zealand Test captain Kane Williamson is confident he has successfully recovered from the hamstring injury he sustained during the T20I series against Pakistan last month and is ready for the first Test against South Africa starting on February 4 at Mount Maunganui.
“My hamstring is good, it’s improved over the last couple of weeks. I feel good and I’m looking forward to getting back into training and joining the team,” Williamson said. “The weather was unbelievable. Extreme heat so yeah I’m sure and like I said it’s just going to be nice to join the side back and I think all the lads are really looking forward to getting back together as a Test team.”
New Zealand are dealing with several injuries ahead of the first Test. Williamson missed a good chunk of cricket last year when he first tore his ACL in the IPL, then broke his thumb in the ODI World Cup and then strained his hamstring. Meanwhile, fast bowler Kyle Jamieson was sidelined with a back injury, while wicketkeeper-batsman Tom Blundell also suffered a hamstring injury.
Also read: Mbappe to join Real Madrid at end of season: Reports
While Jamieson is back in competitive cricket; featured for Canterbury in the Super Smash Eliminator and final and for the New Zealand XI in the tournament match against South Africa, Blundell has not played a competitive match for nearly a month.
However, Williamson reckoned New Zealand were relatively injury-free in the first Test.
“I just saw them [Blundell and Jamieson] in the dining room and they looked comfortable and they were eating well and I think they’re fine,” Williamson said. “Obviously with these injuries it can be a lot different from individual to individual and Tom with his hamstring took a bit longer with the hamstring. I think he’s good, he’s getting up to go and Kyle had a spell a couple of days ago and I think .” passed well. I think everyone is fit and well.’
With several first-choice players busy with their SA20 commitments, South Africa divided opinion within the cricketing fraternity by fielding a second-row squad of up to eight uncapped players, including captain Neil Brand, for the New Zealand Tests. However, Williamson said there was no chance of him taking the South African team lightly and just wanted his team to focus on the cricket ahead.
“For us, we just want to focus on the cricket we want to play and the plans we have which don’t change from opposition to opposition,” he said. “There are adjustments to the conditions etc, but there are a number of players in the South African side who are certainly familiar with playing county cricket and those things in our squad.
“So we’re under no illusions that it’s definitely going to be a tough game. They’re all very good players and we just want to keep focusing on our cricket.”
So do the unknowns in South Africa’s team bother Williamson because not much information is available about them?
“I think, definitely, there’s less knowledge about some of their players. That’s a challenge,” Williamson said. “A number of the lads are reasonably familiar with the players but it’s certainly a new-look squad so like I said it’s important that we do our homework like we do with any opponent but also really focus on our cricket.”
New Zealand are chasing a history of never beating South Africa in a Test series. What they are also looking at is picking up some World Test Championship [WTC] points. New Zealand are third in the points table behind South Africa and a series win could help them move up to second place.
“Any win anywhere is key,” Williamson said. “That’s why it’s difficult to micromanage a Test Championship campaign. It’s such a long period of time and games can come a bit sporadically with Test cricket, so it’s just trying to come together as a group, focus on the cricket we want to play that gives us the best chance, and trying to do it for a long time. That’s the focus of the whole series.”
