"I think surgery is unlikely" - Sit on Williamson's elbow

By Talat Masood Dec 8, 2021, 10:59 IST

New Zealand head coach Gary Stead has announced that skipper Kane Williamson is unlikely to have surgery on his problematic elbow. Williamson has had an elbow problem for a while, which recently resulted in missing the second Test against India in Mumbai.

While Stead doesn't expect Williamson to go under the knife, the 31-year-old is likely to be on an 8-9 week break, which will put him out of New Zealand's next home game against Bangladesh. "I think surgery is unlikely," said Stead. "With the tendon injuries around the elbow, my understanding of the situation from talking to our physical therapist is anything that surgery would do to make sure rehab is done. If we don't have to cut a tendon, our choice is not to do."

"So Kane is doing well. I expect it will be a long time. The last time you look at the Test World Cup and before the IPL and T20 World Cup was about eight or nine weeks. So wait me it's somewhere in that timeframe again. We're trying not to put timeframes on it at this point. "

Stead also pointed out that senior battler Ross Taylor's bouts in the Test series had a lot to do with lack of playing time. Taylor fought in all four innings and ended up with only 20 runs, which called his future into question. "Ross has had a disappointing tour for his standards, but he's been an exceptional player for New Zealand for a long, long time," said Stead. "So he's not the only guy who has come to India or on Asian terms and has had a hard time here.

"I think there are some factors behind it, with the lack of playing time up front. We had a series of practice sessions or a couple of practice sessions before the second test which was also washed out. I think Ross will look back and be disappointed." That itself. It's a good balance here, however, between trying to play aggressively and putting pressure on the weirdos and trusting your defense to beat for long periods of time. "

Stead also confirmed that he will have talks with Taylor and the Selectors about the batsman's future in the game. The 37-year-old, who became the first player ever to appear in 100 games in each format, is being contested for his place by players like Will Young and Daryl Mitchell, according to Stead.

"I think the encouraging thing for our team is that we have more options now than we did a year or two ago," said Stead. “You've seen the creation of Will Young and Daryl Mitchell in particular, who got into the testing scene and did really well. But let's not forget that Ross Taylor also has an amazing track record.

“He's been one of New Zealand's top batsmen for a long, long time, and you don't lose that class after a single tour. I need to go home and talk to the selectors and have a talk with Ross as Well, about where he sees his game. "