'Cut it off, have thought about it a few times' - Kane Williamson on longstanding elbow issue

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has been dealing with his persistent elbow injury for quite some time now. The right-handed batter has been troubled by the injury for more than fifteen months now and this has also forced him to miss a lot of international cricket. Williamson, 31, has battled a tendon issue in his left elbow that’s forced him out of numerous matches across all formats of international cricket.

Talking about his injury, The Black Caps skipper said that sometimes he has had thoughts of cutting off his troublesome elbow which has caused so much pain.

“Cut it off…I’ve thought about that a few times,” he was quoted by sutff.co.nz.

This statement sums up the frustration of Williamson who has had to miss a large chunk of international cricket due to this injury. The Kiwi skipper is hoping to make a return to the international arena soon. However, a return that assures him consistently featuring for New Zealand in the upcoming international season depends on the recovery of his elbow.

The fact there isn’t a fixed answer to the question of recovery, he has had to search for answers from far and wide. Williamson even reached out to Steve Smith and Sachin Tendulkar to learn how they dealt with their elbow injuries.

Kane Williamson hopeful to make a comeback soon

Williamson, however, believes he is on the path to recovery thanks to his rehabilitation programme. He has been batting 20-25 minutes in the nets every couple of days. Meanwhile, he is set to miss the Test series against South Africa and is eyeing to make a comeback in the white-ball series against the Netherlands in March, followed by the IPL.

Speaking about the injury that has forced him out of South African series, he said: “Everyone seems to have a different story with this sort of injury, so I was certainly hopeful. But not to be, and it’s a tough pill to swallow, to be honest.”

“It has been tough to get my head around, but I’m getting the support of the medical staff and New Zealand Cricket around the big picture. But as a player, it’s not always easy to do,” he added.

“I’ve heard a number of stories of people who have got through it, and those were certainly encouraging at the start. I’m just really curious about my endpoint. But everyone has been pretty unanimous that there will be one, but it’s just putting in the time and effort to basically seeing the back of it.”