Kane Williamson to miss third T20I against India, confirms New Zealand head coach

Kane Williamson, the captain of New Zealand, will miss the third T20I against India in Napier due to a pre-arranged medical appointment. He is expected to rejoin the team before the start of the three-ODI series on Friday. In Williamson’s absence, head coach Gary Stead said Tim Southee would lead New Zealand in the third T20I, with Mark Chapman called in as cover.

Williamson’s medical appointment, according to Stead, had nothing to do with his elbow, which the New Zealand captain has been dealing with for several months. As a result of his elbow issue, he has missed a few games for New Zealand and the Indian T20 League.

The health and well-being of our players and staff is paramount: Gary Stead

“Kane’s been trying to get this booked in for a while now, but unfortunately it hasn’t been able to fit into our schedule. The health and well-being of our players and staff is paramount, and we look forward to seeing him in Auckland,” Stead said as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo.

Williamson’s form in the T20 format has recently come under scrutiny. While New Zealand reached the 20-20 World Cup 2022 semi-finals in Australia, Williamson scored only 178 runs at a strike rate of 116.33. His Indian T20 League franchise Hyderabad released him last week after he scored only 216 runs at a strike rate of 93.51 in their eighth-place finish in the 2022 season.

Following the cancellation of the first T20I in Wellington, India won the second match in Mount Maunganui by 65 runs, thanks to a century by Suryakumar Yadav. Despite top-scoring for New Zealand in the chase with 61 off 52 balls, Williamson was unable to take his team to the target of 192.

The third and final T20I will be held in Napier on Tuesday, before the teams travel to Auckland for the first ODI on November 25. The second and third One-Day Internationals will be played on November 27 and 30 in Hamilton and Christchurch, respectively.