New Zealand captain Kane Williamson may travel to the ODI World Cup in India as a mentor for the team if he remains injured and unavailable to play. Williamson suffered an ACL injury on his right knee while attempting to take a catch during the first match of the Indian Premier League. He returned home from India and underwent successful surgery, but his knee is still in a brace as he undergoes rehab and races against time to be fit for the World Cup. New Zealand head coach Gary Stead refused to rule Williamson out of the tournament as a player just yet.
The ODI World Cup is likely to start in October, but the official itinerary is yet to be released. The International Cricket Council (ICC) usually announces World Cup schedules at least a year in advance, but this time it has been waiting for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to get the necessary clearances from the Indian government. The delay in the schedule has disrupted New Zealand's long-term planning.
Stead said, "It [schedule] is not out yet, so there's not much we can do about that. So it does keep our options reasonably open without knowing the venues and who we are playing at different venues. So, it does make it pretty difficult to finalize plans right now. But that again just gives players opportunities, that are within the squad now, to come out here [in Pakistan] and play for New Zealand."