During that period, the NZC medical team limited Williamson’s practice sessions to 20-minute blocks, leading him to acknowledge that the injury had been a “tough pill to swallow” and that his preferred remedy might have been to “cut it off”. However, speaking at Lord’s on the eve of Thursday’s first Test, he insisted that his time away from the game had helped him to manage the condition better.
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“It’s significantly improved, which is the pleasing thing,” Williamson said. “Obviously having that time out of the game was beneficial to get it back on track somewhat. Although it was a very frustrating period of grappling with it, it is nice to be back into full training and back into cricket really, which is really exciting, and back with the team after watching them on the sidelines for a little bit. So that is nice to see that improvement.”
“He needs to get through training today,” Williamson said. “Obviously he’s just arrived. He’s keen as, but there’s a number of things to consider.
“Trent is obviously a world-class player and we’ve got a great variety in our bowling attack,” he added. “So, we’ll be having a look at the surface and working out what we want to go with, and that balance, and who’s all ready to go. Most are, but obviously Trent’s one to look at today.”
It is almost 12 months since Williamson’s New Zealand lifted the ICC mace with victory over India in the World Test Championship final, having also dispatched England 1-0 in a two-match series that began at Lord’s. Their results since then haven’t been quite as stellar, with defeat in India followed by two drawn home series, but Williamson insisted that the fulfilment of their global ambitions hadn’t taken the edge off his team.
“That was an amazing occasion and a proud achievement for New Zealand cricket,” he said of the WTC final. “When you’re involved in a side, your motivation is about trying to move the team forward and, whether that’s in different matches that have different context, the motivation is still there. Everybody wants to win. Whether you have a certain number next to your name or not, it’s always competitive.
“You always have different transitions,” he added. “Since then, there’s been a number of players that have retired [notably Ross Taylor and BJ Watling], and that’s just part of that big picture. So although they’re fond memories, and it wasn’t all that long ago, you certainly don’t rest on matches that were played a year ago.”
“It’s a great opportunity for Brendon, such a positive guy and an amazing leader as well,” he said. “He does tend to have a strong impact wherever he goes. And clearly the English set-up have seen some strong qualities in him that they want as a part of their set-up. So yeah, it’s exciting. I think Dan [Vettori] might be involved with Australia, so there’s a real Kiwi feel to the next Ashes series, which is pretty interesting.
“We’re good mates. And he’s mates with a number of the guys and there’s a lot of history there. But you know, cricket’s cricket, so for us, it’s focusing on what we want to do. No doubt they’ll be working hard and Brendon will be certainly getting right in the mix of things to do what he does, but at the end of the day, it’s going to be an exciting contest and one that both sides are looking forward to.”
Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket
Source: ESPN Crickinfo