Already into running phase, Williamson cautiously confident of being at World Cup

Wellington, Aug 11 (IANS) New Zealand captain Kane Williamson is cautiously optimistic about getting fit for the ODI World Cup to be held in India in October-November this year.

Williamson, who is recuperating from a knee injury, on Friday gave some hope to the New Zealand fans by informing them that his recovery was ahead of schedule and on track for selection when the World Cup squad is picked next month.

“If the knee is at a stage where that can be a reality, that's great, but it very much is about getting it right and making sure it is ready to go when that time comes – whenever that time is,” Williamson on Friday ahead of a net session with other Black Caps at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.

“You do have some good days, then you have a few variable ones. It’s all part of the journey, it's hard to get too far ahead of yourself because you see something really good in one place, but you still know there's a lot of work to do," Williamson was quoted as saying by the New Zealand media on Friday.

“If I end up at a place where it's realistic because all these bases are covered and it's ticked off by the people who know a lot more about it than me, then that's great,” said Williamson, who ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee when fielding in the opening game of the Indian Premier League at the end of March.

The Black Caps head coach Gary Stead had a few days back said that Kane Williamson will be considered for selection, even if he wasn't ready to play initial group matches.

Williamson supported the idea and was ready to consider it.

“To potentially have that opportunity and use all those sorts of different, I suppose, scenarios to try and make that happen would be great. It's still just guesswork at the moment in terms of when the day is or how it's tracking at the time. So it is just about the now and I'm working hard to keep it moving forward,” he said.

Williamson wasn’t named this week in the Black Caps’ 15-player squad for their four-match ODI series in England, starting on September 8, but he will travel to England and train with the team while continuing his rehabilitation, the stuff-co.nz said in a story on Friday.

New Zealand will play three ODIs against Bangladesh in late September ahead of the World Cup, but Williamson “that's probably a bit early” for him to resume playing.

Williamson, who was named player of the tournament at the previous World Cup when NZ lost the final to hosts England on boundary countback after a Super Over, said getting ready for the World Cup was still a tough goal for him.

“And still a tough goal. However, something like that in the back of your mind is obviously motivating and you want to keep seeing those improvements,” 

Williamson is currently in the running phase of his rehabilitation and in the net sessions, he’s still restricted to batting against just ‘throwdowns’ but said he’s hopefully “not too far away” from facing bowlers, the report said.