New Zealand confirm captain Kane Williamson fractured his thumb during their World Cup win over Bangladesh, but remains with the squad in hopes of returning for the final pool matches

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has suffered a fresh injury blow after his left thumb was broken by a stray throw during his side’s eight-wicket win over Bangladesh in Chennai. 

Playing his first game for seven months after returning from a torn cruciate ligament, he chanced a single to mid-off and was struck on the glove by the attempted run-out.

He retired hurt next over, having contributed 78 to New Zealand’s pursuit of 246, before an X-ray confirmed an undisplaced fracture. He now faces a race against time to recover for the later stages of the World Cup. Wicketkeeper-batsman Tom Blundell has been called up as a reserve.

‘Firstly, we’re all feeling for Kane, to have this occur after all his hard work to return from his knee injury,’ said New Zealand coach Gary Stead.

‘While it’s disappointing news, the initial diagnosis has given us some optimism he can still feature later in the pool play following a period of rest and rehabilitation.

‘Kane is clearly a massive part of our side and a world-class player and captain, so we’ll look to give him every opportunity we can to return in the tournament.’

The New Zealand captain hopes to return for the final World Cup pool matches in November