WELLINGTON: New Zea­land captain Kane Williamson looks set to miss the one-day World Cup in India later this year after rupturing a knee ligament, it was announced on Thursday.

The star batsman needs surgery after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee while fielding for Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League, New Zealand Cricket say.

Black Caps coach Gary Stead said it was “unlikely” the 32-year-old would be ready to play in the ODI World Cup, which starts in October.

Williamson’s absence would be a major blow for the Black Caps, who have never won the World Cup but finished runners-up in the past two tournaments.

“Naturally it’s disappointing to get such an injury, but my focus now is on having the surgery and starting rehab,” Williamson said in a statement.

“It’s going to take some time but I’ll be doing everything I can to get back on the field as soon as possible.”

Williamson jarred his knee attempting a catch in the opening game of the IPL last Friday, hobbling off the field with the help of two physios.

Williamson’s batting helped New Zealand to the final of both the 2015 World Cup in Australia and the 2019 edition, where they lost to hosts England in a dramatic Super Over.

The right-hander, who has scored 6,554 ODI runs at an average of just under 48, stood down from the Test captaincy last year but remained skipper in the shorter formats.

“It’s a huge spanner in the works for us,” said Stead. “We haven’t given up hope that he might be right, but at this stage it looks unlikely.

“Our first thoughts are with Kane, it’s a tough time for him. It’s not an injury that you’d expect, it’s come out of the blue, and it obviously hits you hard at the time.”

Organisers have yet to anno­unce firm dates for the World Cup but it is expected to get underway in early October with the major nations, including New Zealand, starting their campaigns towards the end of the month.

“I look forward to doing what I can to support Gary and the team over the next few months,” Williamson added.

Published in Dawn, April 7th, 2023