We are just a few months away from the World Cup 2023, which will be the 16th edition of the tournament. The 10-team ICC event will be held in India in October-November and England are the defending champions.
It is a dream for every player to play for their country in an ODI World Cup and win it. However, only a few selected ones achieve that as the competition in the squad is tough. For, ODI World Cup remains the biggest, most cherished prize among cricketers and fans as it comes every four years, and it has to coincide with the best years of a player for him to be selected in the squad.
There are few big-name players who are doubtful to play in the WC 2023 as they are currently dealing with major injuries.
Here are 3 big players who are doubtful for World Cup 2023 due to injuries:
Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant suffered a near-fatal car accident in December last year. Among the many injuries, the most serious ones were on his legs and knees. Fortunately, Rishabh Pant got out alive from the car crash.
He underwent a couple of knee surgeries so far, and is learned to have made good progress: he’s started walking without crutches recently and is currently rehabbing at the NCA in Bangalore.
Will Rishabh Pant play in World Cup 2023?
Rishabh Pant is all but out of the WC 2023. He’s unlikely to play in the tournament as he won’t recover in time to play cricket this year, barring any miracle. He is expected to take the field by mid-2024. For wicket-keeping and middle-order options, India have KL Rahul and Sanju Samson in their ODI setup.
Kane Williamson
New Zealand were given a major blow when their captain Kane Williamson sustained an right knee injury in the first match of IPL 2023 this year.
Williamson, who led New Zealand to the final in 2019, is likely to miss the WC 2023 after being diagnosed with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and underwent surgery in early April.
If not as a player, Williamson might still travel to India as a mentor for the New Zealand team in World Cup. Tom Latham is currently leading New Zealand in Williamson’s absence.
Jofra Archer
England fast bowler Jofra Archer‘s issues with his elbow injury, that has already taken almost two years out of his career, continue to trouble him. After a long layoff from April 2021 to December 2022, Archer returned to action earlier this year.
He played in SA20, a couple of white-ball series for England, and also took part in IPL 2023 for MI. However, after featuring in 5 matches for MI in the IPL, Archer was sidelined again as his elbow injury flared up and he returned home. Even in those 5 matches, he took only 2 wickets and looked a pale shadow of his best.
He’s set to miss the entire home summer, which includes The Men’s Hundred. How much time he will need to recover it unknown and whether he will play in WC 2023 is doubtful. Even if he is fit in a couple of months, it would remain an uphill task to play a long ODI World Cup for Archer and bowl at his best.
