Kane Williamson completes unlikely return in Black Caps’ Cricket World Cup warm-up win over Pakistan

Kane Williamson looked in good touch against Pakistan. Photo / Getty Images

Less than six months after wrecking his knee and, seemingly, his World Cup hopes, Kane Williamson returned to India and announced his readiness for another tilt at the trophy.

The Black Caps skipper struck an unbeaten half-century in his first innings since tearing an ACL in April, guiding his side to a five-wicket warm-up win over Pakistan on Saturday.

The ligament damage suffered on IPL duty was meant to abruptly end Williamson’s dream of leading New Zealand to a maiden men’s World Cup title; a six-month recovery time appeared unrealistic after such a serious injury.

But the 33-year-old has proved his powers extend beyond the batting crease, showing in a 50-ball knock of 54 the Black Caps can again rely on their match-winning captain.

The news from Hyderabad wasn’t unconditionally rosy — Williamson will be missing when New Zealand kick off the World Cup with a rematch against 2019 nemesis England on Thursday.

But with one more warm-up game to gain time in the field, a box Williamson didn’t check against Pakistan, his remarkable recovery is almost complete.

“It wasn’t a reality five months ago,” he said. “To be quite fortunate with some of that recovery and be named in the squad was really exciting for me. I was just really looking forward to getting out there again and it was nice to do that today.

“It was just great to get through some batting out in the middle. And be part of a match, which was really nice. [The knee] held up pretty well so that’s good. A little bit of icing afterwards but that’s all part of the process.”

The final element in that process will come during a planned 20-to-25 overs in the field against South Africa on Monday, testing a repaired joint with the sudden movements that role requires. But with a bat in hand, at least, Williamson looked again in rude health.

“It was great see him back playing and looking like he hadn’t been away from the game,” said coach Gary Stead. “And pretty warming overall from a team perspective that we know he’s pretty close to getting back to full fitness. He’s still not quite there yet but certainly another step on the way back today.

“We’re slowly building him up towards that and making sure he can land and dive and do what he needs to in the field to take full part in the future parts of the tournament.”

Judging by the performance of his fellow batters against Pakistan, there are a couple candidates to replace Williamson to start the tournament.

With opener Will Young rested as the 15-man squad came together for the first time, Rachin Ravindra seized a rare chance at the top of the order by cracking 97 from 72 to spark a chance of 346.

After Williamson and Daryl Mitchell (59no from 57) had both retired from the crease, Mark Chapman completed the victory with a typically rapid knock of 65no from 41.

“A fantastic hit out; Pakistan are an outstanding side,” Williamson said. “Both teams were trying to get what they wanted out of it, in terms of bowlers getting the overs they need and time in the legs. It is an exercise but also nice to compete.

“It was a great batting performance on a really good surface. It was nice we were able to put together partnerships and batters could get time in the middle.”