'There is a strong desire to be involved as much as...' - Kane Williamson opens up on his participation in ODI World Cup 2023 warm-up games

New Zealand skipper and batting superstar, Kane Williamson is finally recovered to make his comeback with the side in the upcoming warm-up matches of the ODI World Cup 2023. Notably, the Blackcaps will play their first warm-up match against Pakistan on Friday, September 29 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium.

Williamson was out of action from the field due to an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) of his right knee ruptured. He sustained this injury when he was playing for the IPL 2022 champions Gujarat Titans in the inaugural match of the IPL 2023 against Chennai Super Kings.

There is a strong desire to be involved as much as I can - Kane Williamson

Speaking of New Zealand’s campaign in ODI World Cup 2023, they will start their campaign with their first match against the defending champions, England.

“The plan is to be involved in the warm-up games. There is a strong desire to be involved as much as I can," said Williamson during a pre-departure press conference in New Zealand.

“The plan is to be involved in the warm-up games. There is a strong desire to be involved as much as I can. Although the load is going to keep increasing, there is a little bit of an unknown. But it has felt pretty good really in the last few weeks. Although it's going well, you still have days that vary a little bit. So, it's working through those warm-up games to get as much out of it as I can, and as a team, without bothering it too much, he added later.

Furthermore, the 33-year-old also spoke about his experiences during the recovery phase and all aspects he had to cover to make himself fully fit and available.

“Not so much the sprinting, more the slowing actually. From sprinting, the braking, a little bit of a change of direction. It's all been part of the plan, and introducing it towards the end of recovery,” he said.