Kane Williamson's chances of playing at the ODI World Cup are over it was confirmed he has ruptured his ACL playing in the Indian Premier League.
Playing in the first match of the season for the Gujarat Titans, Williamson injured his right knee while attempting to take a catch in the field against the Super Kings.
Intercepting a ball heading for six, he saved two runs, but landed awkwardly and injured his knee in the process.
He was taken straight from the field, and will now miss a period of between nine and twelve months as he recovers from surgery on the injury.
Surgery itself will be at least two or three weeks away as he waits for swelling in the knee to go down.
“I've received great support over the past few days and want to thank both the Gujarat Titans and New Zealand Cricket for that," Williamson said in a statement released by New Zealand Cricket.
“Naturally it's disappointing to get such an injury, but my focus now is on having the surgery and starting rehab.”
“It's going to take some time, but I'll be doing everything I can to get back on the field as soon as possible.”
It means New Zealand, who played the final of the 2019 World Cup in England but lost to the host nation in a tied final, will be without their skipper as they head to India later this year.
Tom Latham, who captained New Zealand during a recent home ODI series against Sri Lanka, is the likely front-runner to take over at the World Cup, although replacing Williamson's runs will be an equal challenge. He has scored 13 centuries in the 50-over format and averaged 47.83 with the bat in hand.
The ODI World Cup is due to get underway in October, although exact dates and fixtures are yet to be confirmed.
