Williamson shrugs off suspected broken finger

Image
AFP Hamilton (New Zealand)
Last Updated : Dec 17 2015 | 2:57 PM IST
New Zealand master batsman Kane Williamson today said he had no concerns about playing with a suspected broken finger as he looks to maintain his phenomenal form in the second Test against Sri Lanka.
Williamson, averaging 88.58 in Tests in 2015, took a nasty blow to the hand in the first innings of New Zealand's first-Test victory, where he scored 88 and 71 and became only the fifth player to pass 1,000 Test runs this year.
Ahead of the second and final Test in Hamilton, which starts on Friday, Williamson described his injury as "part and parcel" of cricket and said he would not seek treatment during the series.
"It's irrelevant if it is or not, nothing will change," said the world's number three-ranked batsman, when asked whether he thought the finger was broken.
"It's part and parcel of cricket I suppose. You get a few knocks on the fingers and when it doesn't get hit it settles a little bit and gets a bit less sensitive."
Williamson said New Zealand will keep their winning combination for the second Test after being presented with another green-top wicket in Hamilton.
With conditions ripe for seam and swing bowling, New Zealand ruled out bringing in an extra spinner and opted to maintain their four-pronged pace attack.
New Zealand won the first Test in Dunedin by 122 runs despite losing the toss and being forced to bat first.
"We're playing the same (line-up) as the last match, with the look of the surface we will go in with that extra seamer," Williamson said, suggesting New Zealand would likely bowl first if they win the toss.
"It's green, Dunedin was green, and we just feel it might be more suited to seam bowling."
Their cause was helped by the inexperienced Sri Lankan attack being unable to capitalise on the conditions, but Williamson does not expect New Zealand to get off so lightly this time.
"I'm sure they would have learned a lot (in Dunedin) and it should be a good game," he said.
Sri Lanka will not confirm their line-up until just before the game, but captain Angelo Mathews indicated changes were also unlikely.
"The wicket's really green, lots of grass on it, so it's definitely bowl first and if we bowl first we'll look to rectify the mistakes that we did in Dunedin because we were nowhere near our best," he said.
"This will do a lot more than Dunedin, it has a lot more grass and the seamers will come into play.
"It doesn't really matter if we lose the series 2-0. We've got to go out there and keep positive right from the word go, not look to be too cautious, just go out there and play good cricket.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Dec 17 2015 | 2:57 PM IST

Next Story