IND vs NZ, CWC 2023: Big Blow For New Zealand As Kane Williamson To Miss Dharamsala Clash; Tim Southee Available

Kane Williamson has a fractured left thumb while Tim Southee has recovered completely from the surgery he had on his fractured right thumb.

New Zealand will have to continue playing without their captain Kane Williamson in the ICC World Cup 2023 as he will be missing yet another game due to the fracture on his thumb.

Williamson suffered freak injury

Williamson has been ruled out of New Zealand's next match against hosts India. The match will be played in Dharamsala on Sunday.

Williamson was hit on his left thumb comeback match versus Bangladesh while he was taking a run.

A throw from Mehidy Hasan from cover struck Williamson on his left thumb which was initially bandaged by the NZ team physio but he couldn't continue playing due to the pain.

Scans later confirmed a fracture due to which he missed New Zealand's last match against Afghanistan in Chennai.

Tom Blundell was called in as cover for Williamson, who had come back into the side ahead of the World Cup after recovering from an ACL injury.

The team still won by a massive 149-runs despite Williamson's absence as Tom Latham stepped in as interim skipper.

Tim Southee likely to play vs India

The Kiwis will next face India and thankfully, will have Tim Southee available for selection in the match. Southee had surgery on his fractured right thumb before the tournament but has finally recovered completely and is ready to be picked, confirmed skipper Latham on Saturday.

New Zealand and India are the only two teams which have won all four games they have played so far. The Blackcaps top the table due to a better net run rate than India but the order is going to change after Match 21 at the scenic HPCA stadium in Dharamsala.