Blackcaps captain Kane Williamson admits he's still fighting an ongoing battle with his troublesome elbow injury, as he prepares for his return to the international stage at the Twenty20 World Cup later this month.
The minor tear in his left elbow occured back in February and eventually led to his withdrawal from the remainder of the NZ summer schedule, after the T20 series win over Australia.
Following the World Test Championship Final win over India in June, Williamson took two months off cricket to rehabilitate the minor tear in his left elbow, pulling out of England's new 'The Hundreds' competition to allow more time for recovery.
While that combination of respite and rehab has certainly helped, Williamson says his elbow is still a "slow burner".
"It's been frustrating, certainly when it was at its worse," Williamson says. "There's still a bit of time to put into it to get it back to 100 but it's definitely better.
"Just the harder you grip and the further you extend, it seems to be quite disruptive.
"There's been a lot of improvement over the last three months, which is good. It's really been a focus and I'm now at a stage where I'm largely able to get through with some comfort."
Williamson took full part in Sunrisers Hyderabad's recently completed Indian Premier League campaign but his elbow's cause wasn't helped by the competition's COVID-19-caused postponement, which has left little time for recuperation before the World Cup begins.
With a demanding schedule of cricket ahead, including a T20 and test series tour to India after the upcoming World Cup, Williamson says there are already measures being taken to mitigate his workload and prevent any further flare-ups.
"There is some load management going on just to keep helping it but I certainly have the intention of taking a full part [in the world cup]."
Earlier this week, coach Gary Stead revealed his captain had also been nursing a niggly hamstring complaint, which Williamson has quickly dismissed as "minor".
While the tournament begins this weekend, the Blackcaps don't play their first game until October 27 - against Pakistan in Sharjah - which allows more valuable time to ensure he's as close to full fitness as possible.
"It's progressing nicely so not too many concerns and we've still got plenty of time," he says. "I'm basically taking full part in training, so it's all good.
"It's nice to be able to focus a bit more on the cricketing side of things, rather than having constant negotiations with physios."
