Kane Williamson ruled out of Bangladesh ODIs with elbow injury

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has been ruled out of the upcoming ODI series against Bangladesh due to an elbow injury.

New Zealand will take on Bangladesh in a three-match ODI series, which will start on March 20. The Kiwis will then face the same opponents in a three-match T20I series, beginning on March 28.

New Zealand Cricket medical manager Dayle Shackel confirmed the news of Kane Williamson’s absence in a statement.

“Kane’s been managing the elbow injury to varying degrees this summer and unfortunately it hasn’t improved. He obviously has a high volume of training and playing across the three formats, which has inhibited his ability to recover. We believe he now needs a period of rest and rehabilitation to get the injury right,” Shackel said.

Kane Williamson was diagnosed with a small tear in his left elbow tendon in the buildup to the five-match T20I series against Australia. The prognosis came after the New Zealand skipper had been experiencing irritation in his elbow for several months.

But Shackel is confident about Kane Williamson’s swift recovery, insisting the Kiwi captain should begin his rehabilitation next week.

"Time-frames can vary but we're hopeful that, after an initial rest, he should be able to begin rehabilitation next week," Shackel added.

Gary Stead explains tough Kane Williamson call

A crucial few months loom for both New Zealand and Kane Williamson, and New Zealand Cricket have decided to prioritize the skipper’s fitness. The Kiwis will travel to England in June for two Tests before taking on India in the World Test Championship final later in the month at Southampton.

Kane Williamson struggled massively during New Zealand’s 3-2 win against Australia. The skipper scored just 82 runs in five games, going past the 15-run mark just once in the series. New Zealand coach Gary Stead admitted while the decision to rest Kane Williamson has not been easy, he is hopeful it will pay off in the long term.

“Kane loves playing for his country - so it hasn't been an easy decision to step back. A batsman's front elbow is crucial to his game and with the injury not improving it was clear something needed to be done. We've got a huge year of cricket ahead with an England Test tour and ICC World Test Championship Final first up in May and June [June and July], and we want to make sure we have Kane fit and firing for that," Stead said.

Kane Williamson’s injury concerns have also cast doubt on his IPL 2021 future. The mega T20 tournament begins on April 9, and it remains to be seen whether the Sunrisers Hyderabad batsman will be 100% fit by then.