Kane Williamson Ruled Out of Fielding After Quad Strain in ICC 2025 Champions Trophy Final
New Zealand’s star batter Kane Williamson will not take part in the fielding effort during India’s chase of 252 in the ongoing ICC 2025 Champions Trophy final at Dubai International Stadium. Williamson suffered a quad strain while batting in the first innings, forcing him to leave the field.
Williamson, who played a crucial role in New Zealand’s semi-final victory over South Africa with a brilliant 102, was dismissed for just 11 runs off 14 balls in the title clash against India. His brief innings ended when he failed to keep a chip down off Kuldeep Yadav, offering a simple return catch to the left-arm wrist-spinner in the 13th over.
Shortly after the second innings began, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) issued an update confirming that Williamson would not field due to his injury. “Kane Williamson will not field in the second innings of the final after picking up a quad strain while batting. Mark Chapman has taken his place in the field,” NZC said in their statement.
In terms of the match, New Zealand posted a total of 251/7, thanks to solid half-centuries from Daryl Mitchell (63 off 101 balls) and Michael Bracewell (53* off 40 balls). India’s spinners dominated, with Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy both picking up two wickets each, helping restrict the Blackcaps to a modest total.
New Zealand, who won the Champions Trophy in 2000, won the toss and elected to bat first. However, the team is now facing the challenging task of defending their total without the services of their fast-bowling spearhead, Matt Henry, who is sidelined due to a right shoulder injury sustained while taking a catch in the semi-finals.
India, led by Rohit Sharma, is now chasing 252 runs, and a successful chase would give them their third Champions Trophy title, adding to their previous wins in 2002 and 2013.
