From clashing with the physio to seeking advice from Sachin Tendulkar, keeping busy has at least been easy for Kane Williamson during the most frustrating period of his career.
The Black Caps skipper was this week ruled out of the two-test series against South Africa, still rehabilitating a troublesome and- and troubling - left elbow injury.
The problem has lingered now for 15 months and, while progress has been made, Williamson admits the period has been as mentally taxing as it has physically.
The 31-year-old managed the tendon issue with painkillers through the latter stages of the World Test Championship, taking a cortisone shot to play in the final, and it settled down with a lighter batting workload during the Twenty20 World Cup.
But having missed the second test in India and the drawn Bangladesh series while targeting a South African return, falling short of that goal has left him occasionally wondering whether the injury will ever go away.
"I have thought that a number of times," Williamson said. "You go through periods like the T20 World Cup and think maybe you're on the top of it. But then you prepare for a test match and the volume increases significantly and you feel like you've taken a bunch of steps backwards.
"There's a large physical component to it, but mentally you're just bouncing all over the shop, thinking, one moment you're here and the next moment you're there, and when is it going to go?
Kane Williamson has been struggling with a long-term left elbow injury. Photo / Getty
"I've heard a number of stories from people who have got through it, and those were certainly encouraging at the start. I'm just really curious about my end point."
Those stories have come from a number of cricketing peers, including Tendulkar and Steve Smith, who overcame similar injuries. Some players eventually had surgery but Williamson called that "an absolute last resort", especially when recent signs were promising.
"What I can gather from talking to the professionals is [surgery] doesn't promise," Williamson said. "And even after that there's a real requirement of rehab and specific loading.
"Because it doesn't promise, this is without doubt the preferred option at this point in time. Hopefully it's the one that works."
His teammates, coaches and every cricket fan in the country will join Williamson in that hope, though missing games during this Covid-disrupted summer is far from a worst-case scenario.
Williamson, with Kieran Read and Jimmy Neesham at the Black Clash, is keeping busy. Photo / photosport.nz
Williamson knew he might now be reaping what was sewn when he chose to play through the pain last year, but in hindsight would change nothing about that decision.
"It's not something I regret but something where I'm paying the price," he said. "I was obviously wanting to be out there playing and that maybe didn't allow for it to settle as quickly.
"So many people have said that they get to point and realise it's not there any more. But there isn't really a specific timeframe."
With the South African series gone, the new aim is to play limited-overs cricket against the Netherlands at the end of March, with the Indian Premier League then looming.
Williamson demurred when asked whether skipping that lucrative tournament would be wise, pointing out the lighter workload of white-ball cricket has never caused a problem.
The problem arises when preparing for long hours in the middle - or during recent weeks when he's had "a few headbutts" with physios trying to limit his batting sessions and save him from himself.
With the Black Caps' next test series set for June in England, Williamson will continue his "delicate" rehab and trust his comfort levels continue to improve.
There's not really much other choice. "Cutting it off," he joked. "I've thought about that a few times."
