World Cup 2023: Tom Latham provides injury update on Kane Williamson and Lockie Ferguson
New Zealand skipper Tom Latham has provided an injury update on Kane Williamson and Lockie Ferguson ahead of their match against South Africa on November 1. Williamson was hit on the hand during the match against Bangladesh.
In Short
- New Zealand face South Africa in their next match
- Latham said Williamson and Ferguson will be assessed on Tuesday
- Latham said they're hoping Ferguson will be fit for the match against South Africa
New Zealand's stand-in skipper Tom Latham has provided an injury update on Kane Williamson and Lockie Ferguson ahead of their World Cup 2023 clash against South Africa.
During the World Cup 2023, New Zealand's cricket team faced significant setbacks due to injuries sustained by two of their key players, Williamson and Ferguson.
Williamson, the captain of the New Zealand team, had a particularly challenging time. After a long hiatus from international cricket due to a knee injury, he made a promising return in a match against Bangladesh on October 13th, 2023.
He led his team to an eight-wicket win and scored an impressive 78 runs. However, his comeback was marred by an unfortunate incident. While taking a quick single, a throw from the field hit him directly on his left glove, causing immediate pain and swelling.
Despite initial attempts to continue playing, the severity of the pain forced him to retire hurt. Subsequent medical examinations revealed that he had suffered an undisplaced fracture to his left thumb. This injury ruled him out of action until the latter stages of the group play in the World Cup. In his absence, Tom Blundell was named as his replacement.
Ferguson also encountered injury woes during the tournament. In the match against Australia, Ferguson had to leave the field after bowling just three overs. He had conceded 38 runs when he started experiencing pain in his right Achilles. The injury was severe enough to prevent him from returning to the field for the rest of the match.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Latham was asked about Ferguson, Williamson and Mark Chapman. The stand-in skipper said that they would be assessed after training on October 31. Latham also they're keeping their fingers crossed for Ferguson, who went off due to an Achilles niggle.
"Yeah, just as I said before, there's Lockie, Kane and Mark Chapman. We'll obviously get through hopefully a bit of work today and then we'll see how they pull up from a selection point of view. But yeah, obviously, Lockie went off in the last game with a bit of Achilles' niggle, so fingers crossed he'll be fine for tomorrow," said Latham.