CHENNAI, India (AP) — New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has a fractured thumb but will remain at the Cricket World Cup in hopes of playing next month.
Williamson was hit on the thumb as he ran through for a single in Friday’s victory over Bangladesh. An X-ray revealed an undisplaced fracture, New Zealand Cricket announced Saturday.
Williamson had returned from seven months out with a knee injury and scored 78 in the eight-wicket win.
Tom Blundell will travel to India as backup. Williamson will remain with the squad and is aiming to be available for the final pool matches next month.
“While it’s disappointing news, the initial diagnosis has given us some optimism he can still feature later in the pool play following a period of rest and rehabilitation,” coach Gary Stead said.
“Kane is clearly a massive part of our side and a world-class player and captain, so we’ll look to give him every opportunity we can to return in the tournament,” he added.
New Zealand will next play Afghanistan in Chennai on Wednesday.