World Cup 2023: Kane Williamson to miss Netherlands match; Ferguson, Southee likely to be fit

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson will continue to be on the sidelines and will miss the World Cup 2023 match against the Netherlands on Monday, while pacers Lockie Ferguson and Tim Southee likely to be fit for the match. Williamson missed New Zealand’s opener against England as he continues to work towards full fitness after suffering an ACL tear in IPL 2023. Williamson played in the two warm-up games against Pakistan and South Africa but sat out of the England game as a precaution. World Cup 2023: News | Schedule | Results | Points table Southee, who had a right thumb surgery after suffering a fracture in the ODI series against England, and Ferguson (back niggle) also missed the England match. New Zealand won the match against England by nine wickets despite having just 12 fit players to pick from. Head coach Gary Stead on Sunday confirmed that Williamson will miss the Netherlands match but could be back from the third game. “Kane’s been progressing very well,” Stead said on Sunday. “I think the fielding is still the element for him that he’s just got to get a little bit higher, and he gets a little bit more trust in his body. “But he’s progressing really well and we are pretty confident that he will be playing the third match for us. We’ve got another training to get through today, so we’ll finalise the team (for the match against Netherlands) once we’ve got through that training. “But at this stage with Kane, we are looking like the third game is when he will start the tournament.” Stead added that the pace duo of Ferguson and Southee should be available. “Lockie Ferguson got through that training really well. So providing he’s scrubbed up ok this morning, he will be available for this next game,” Stead said. “Tim Southee also got through the training really well. It was great to see him back at the bowling crease and also doing a little bit of fielding. “He will just get a final x-ray done this morning and then we will make a call after that, but it’s all looking good for selection from now on and into the rest of the tournament.” The New Zealand vs Netherlands match will be played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad. It will start at 2 PM IST and will be shown on Star Sports Network on TV and live streaming will be available on Disney+ Hotstar.