‘Cut that’: Frustrated Black Caps captain Kane Williamson over elbow injury

Some days, Kane Williamson wishes he could take his left arm with a hacksaw.

“Stop it…I’ve thought about it many times,” the frustrated Black Caps skipper lamented when speaking of his troublesome elbow injury on Friday.

It summed up the 31-year-old’s annoyance at the lingering tendon problem, which had plagued him for around 15 months and forced him to miss more and more cricket as he battled to overcome it for good.

Exactly when that might be is uncertain, leaving Williamson mentally “bouncing all over the store” and looking everywhere for potential answers.

READ MORE:
* Black Caps captain Kane Williamson set to miss Test series against South Africa
* Elbow injury still frustrates Black Caps captain Kane Williamson but has improved
* Black Caps captain Kane Williamson delighted to start England ahead of WTC final
* Black Caps captain Kane Williamson makes winning return to IPL in first game in 45 days

This includes reaching out to Australian Steve Smith and Indian great Sachin Tendulkar, regarding the tennis elbow injuries they have overcome.

Williamson still doesn’t know when he’ll recover, but he’s adamant it’s progressing thanks to his rehabilitation program, which includes 20-25 minute batting sessions every other day.

After missing a Test against India in December and the recent draw series against Bangladesh, what is certain is that Williamson will miss the two-Test series against South Africa in Christchurch, starting in Thursday.

Beyond that, he is still eyeing a comeback for the clean-ball series against the Netherlands, starting in March, followed by Sunrisers Hyderabad’s IPL campaign.

Although his injury is more manageable in whiteball cricket, putting the injury to bed must be the priority, which begs the question: Should Williamson skip the IPL if it was in his interest to do so?

When asked this on a call with the media on Friday, he was noncommittal, but pointed out that he missed the start of last year’s IPL due to his elbow injury.

What was clear on the media call with Williamson, who plans to continue as captain in all three formats, was his frustration with the ongoing situation.

He revealed that he butted heads with the team physio during a batting session because he wanted to keep playing, only to be dragged out in what was his best interest.

Williamson also dug up periods when he thought he was on top before white ball games, only to take a few steps back when it came to preparing for Tests.

Williamson was perfected on his return for the South African series, but his optimism was not shared by the medical team.

“Everyone seems to have a different story with this kind of injury, so I was definitely hopeful. But not to be, and it’s a tough pill to swallow, to be honest,” he said. declared.

“It has been difficult to understand, but I have the support of medical staff and New Zealand Cricket around the whole situation. But as a player, it’s not always easy to do.

The good news is that Williamson no longer needs painkillers to deal with it, which he did when he fought last year’s World Test Championship thanks to a cortisone injection and the first testing their series outdoors in India.

Although he doesn’t regret playing the tests, Williamson admitted he is now paying the price.

Days after coach Gary Stead indicated he hoped it would be fully repaired within the next few months, Williamson was cautiously optimistic about the scenario.

He spoke to several cricketers who had suffered a similar injury, some of whom had undergone surgery, and their results varied widely.

“I’ve heard a number of stories of people who have made it through, and those were certainly encouraging at first. I’m just very curious to know my end point.

“But everyone was pretty unanimous that there will be one, but it’s just a matter of putting in the time and effort to see the background of it.”