[Watch] Kane Williamson cops a blow to his thumb while running between the wickets against Bangladesh during 2023 World Cup fixture
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson might have suffered another injury setback as he copped a blow to his thumb during the 2023 World Cup game against Bangladesh at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The Kiwi captain walked out of the field and retired hurt to never come back to bat again.
The incident occurred in the 39th over of New Zealand's innings as the 33-year-old drove one to mid-off and ran for a single. The fielder stationed at mid-off had a shy at the stumps, but the ball struck his thumb, leaving him in pain.
The Tauranga-born cricketer did receive some treatment before deciding to walk off. He was batting comfortably on 78 and hoped to finish the game for his side, with a modest 246 to chase down.
Eventually, Daryl Mitchell stayed unbeaten on 89 as New Zealand romped to their third victory of the tournament with 8 wickets and 43 balls to spare. However, it was Devon Conway, who laid the base with a 59-ball 45, followed by Williamson sharing a 108-run stand with Mitchell.
It was also Williamson's first game of the tournament, having missed the first two due to a knee injury suffered earlier this year. Lockie Ferguson received the Player of the Match award for his figures of 10-0-49-3.
"Hopefully, it's okay" - Kane Williamson on his thumb injury
At the post-match presentation, Kane Williamson revealed that he will go for a scan tomorrow. From New Zealand's performance perspective, the veteran stated that the wicket was slightly up and down, but felt it was hugely competitive.
"Just got a bit fat and colourful straight away so got a scan tomorrow, but hopefully it's okay. I thought the guys in the first half of the performance were excellent. They just banged the wicket hard, it was a bit variable. And then later it was nice to build those partnerships and take the game late. Midway through the powerplay we realised that we should hit the surface. Not a bad surface, and a really good competitive wicket."
Having won all three matches, the Black Caps are on the top of the table and will next face and will next face Afghanistan on October 18 in Chennai.