T20 World Cup 2021: NZ Head Coach Gary Stead gives an update on Kane Williamson's injury

New Zealand Head Coach Gary Stead has revealed that Kiwi skipper and batting talisman Kane Williamson is currently suffering from a ‘minor injury’ ahead of the 2021 edition of the T20 World Cup.

Stead, however, added that Williamson is feeling good and everything is fine. Stead also opined that the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) side was already out of the race for the playoffs by the time they played their last league match and added that Williamson might have not played for that reason.

“Kane’s fine. He’s just had a very, very slight hamstring twinge, but he’s getting through everything at the moment, he’s feeling good. I am not sure it was something he had to play in (SRH’s final league match),” said Gary Stead as quoted by stuff.co.nz.

We are conscious of not blowing up too early in the T20 World Cup: Gary Stead

Gary Stead also added that the New Zealand side trained for the first time after their 6-day quarantine on 12th October 2021, and said that the Black Caps are getting used to the heat.

“We trained yesterday at a different ground … it was really our first run after being in quarantine for six days, so it was good to get outside, have a bit of a run-around and get used to the heat,” said Stead.

Stead also revealed that the conditions in the UAE are hot, and the Black Caps have carried a lot of fluids with them. Adding that the New Zealand side is conscious of the fact that they should not blow up too early in the tournament, Stead concluded by stating that players can burn out quickly in this kind of heat.

“Today has been a much bigger session. It’s hot, I can assure you of that. A lot of fluids and stuff are being taken on board. It’s something we are certainly conscious of that we don’t blow people out too early in the tournament with the heat. It’s somewhere between 35 and 38 degrees, probably. You can feel you’d burn pretty quick,” concluded Gary Stead.

New Zealand will play their first match of the 2021 T20 World Cup on 26th October 2021, against the Pakistan side at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

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