New Zealand captain Kane Williamson will be ready for June’s Test series against England as he overcomes the tennis elbow injury he’ll have to manage for the rest of his career, coach Gary Stead says.
Williamson, who is captaining Sunrisers Hyderabad in this year’s IPL after a six-month layoff, was basically training without restrictions in India, according to Stead.
Stead said he had been in regular contact with Williamson over the past week.
The Black Caps coach was confident his skipper would be ready to go from ball one of June's Test series against England. (Source: 1News)
“He’s got no issues at all, training almost completely unrestricted now, still just being careful around the overloading side of it,” Stead, who fronted media on Wednesday after naming the squad for the England series, said.
The tendinitis in his left elbow injury did mean Williamson, who is notorious for spending hours honing his game in the nets, did occasionally have to dial it back.
“So that means if he has a really big day of batting, just making sure he’s not doing too much the next day,” Stead said.
“It’s more like a tennis elbow than a golfer's elbow.”
Williamson’s fellow Test greats Sachin Tendulkar and Steve Smith have also battled tennis elbow injuries in their careers, with the Black Caps captain leaning on the pair for advice during his recovery.
The Sunrisers captain has scored 195 runs in nine innings at an average of just over 24 in his return to cricket after missing the entire New Zealand summer and the preceding Test series in India.
READ MORE: Analysis - Williamson a key cog in incredible IPL underdog story
The underdog Hyderabad side are currently fourth on the ladder, with five wins from nine matches.
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