Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has been dealt a cruel blow as he has been ruled out of the ICC men’s ODI World Cup 2023 in India later this year after injuring his knee in the opening match of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 while attempting a catch on the boundary for Gujarat Titans. Williamson will require surgery on his injured right knee, after scans on Tuesday confirmed he’d ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament while fielding for the Gujarat Titans.

“The standard rehabilitation timelines mean that Williamson is now unlikely to be fit and available for selection at this year’s ICC ODI Cricket World Cup in India,” the New Zealand Cricket Association said in a release on Thursday.

After receiving the news, Williamson wanted to acknowledge the support he’d received since sustaining the injury. “I’ve received great support over the past few days and want to thank both the Gujarat Titans and New Zealand Cricket for that,” Williamson was quoted as saying in the release.

Injury Update | Kane Williamson will require surgery on his injured right knee, after scans on Tuesday confirmed he’d ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament while fielding for the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League. More at the link https://t.co/3VZV7AcnL2 pic.twitter.com/tN0e7X8tme
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) April 5, 2023

“Naturally it’s disappointing to get such an injury, but my focus now is on having the surgery and starting rehab. 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,” he added.

While the World Cup now looked unlikely, Williamson vowed to support the team in any way he could. “I look forward to doing what I can to support Gary and the team over the next few months.”

Williamson is likely to have surgery on his knee within the next three weeks. Meanwhile, IPL defending champions GT have replaced Williamson with Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka for the rest of the IPL 2023 season.

In 161 ODI matches, Williamson has scored 6,554 runs at an excellent average of 47.83 and a strike-rate of over 80. He has scored 13 centuries and 42 fifties in the format as well. He led New Zealand to the 2019 ODI World Cup final which the Black Caps lost to England via boundary countback after the final against England ended in a tie.