It was reported a few days ago that Kane Williamson is likely to miss the World Cup opener. It is a key game against England but Kane would be better off ensuring his peak fitness. Nevertheless, it gives a good chance for some of the other cricketers to shine. On that note, here, we look at two players who could replace Kane Williamson if he misses the first game of the ODI World Cup 2023 due to injury.
1) Glenn Phillips
With Kane Williamson fit, the Kiwis would have gone with Will Young, Devon Conway, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Rachin Ravindra and Mitchell Santner as the batters. In this combination, Glenn Phillips would have missed out.
However, with Kane likely to miss the game, Phillips will be the first choice to play in the team. Someone like Tom Latham or even Rachin Ravindra could come at No.3. Phillips is a gun batter in the end overs and is also a terrific fielder. He can also provide a few overs with the ball. Therefore, he would be of great importance to the side.
2) Mark Chapman
Mark Chapman is one of the players who could replace Kane Williamson if he misses the first game of ODI World Cup 2023 due to injury. The player, who formerly operated for Hong Kong, has been in pretty good form in recent months. Hence, he can also be an option for the management.
With Mark, the team will get a good balance because he is more regular with the ball. England has many left-handers and Ben Stokes is also likely to miss the first game. Hence, New Zealand can field Santner and Mark in the middle-overs to restrict the run-scoring. That said, it is Ahmedabad and an extra spinner might just not be needed and the Kiwis could also go in with an extra pacer.
