New Zealand captain Kane Williamson to miss Bangladesh ODI series with elbow injury

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson will miss the upcoming One-Day International (ODI) against Bangladesh because of an elbow injury.

The three-match ODI series is set to begin on March 20, with the first match at University Oval, Dunedin. The other two ODIs have been scheduled to take place at Hagley Oval, Christchurch and Basin Reserve, Wellington.

Williamson, who had been experiencing irritation in the back-half of the summer, has a small tear in his left-elbow tendon and according to the BlackCaps' Medical Manager Dayle Shackel, the injury now certainly needs targeted intervention.

"Kane's been managing the elbow injury to varying degrees this summer and unfortunately it hasn't improved. He obviously has a high volume of training and playing across the three formats, which has inhibited his ability to recover. We believe he now needs a period of rest and rehabilitation to get the injury right.

Time-frames can vary but we're hopeful that, after an initial rest, he should be able to begin rehabilitation next week," read Shackel's statement in NZC's official release.

New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said that it was a blow to play the ODI series without their skipper but also acknowledged the fact that it was the right decision.

"Kane loves playing for his country - so it hasn't been an easy decision to step back. A batsman's front elbow is crucial to his game and with the injury not improving it was clear something needed to be done. We've got a huge year of cricket ahead with an England Test tour and ICC World Test Championship Final first up in May and June, and we want to make sure we have Kane fit and firing for that.

We will certainly miss his class and leadership in the upcoming Bangladesh series, but his omission will no doubt present an opportunity for someone else when the ODI squad is named," added Stead.

New Zealand and India are set to lock horns in the 2019-21 WTC final in June. The venue of the inaugural WTC final has been shifted from Lord's Cricket Ground, London to Ageas Bowl, Southampton due to the current COVID-19 situation in the UK. The summit clash is scheduled to be held between June 18 and 22.