Williamson returns for dad duties

New Zealand cricket captain Kane Williamson is returning home from the Indian Premier League for the birth of his second child.

His Sunrisers Hyderabad team said their captain would travel home immediately to be with wife Sarah for the birth, with one regular season match remaining.

What it means for Williamson’s arrival in England for the much-awaited three-test series – which starts at Lord’s in just over a fortnight on June 2 – is unclear. His Black Caps team-mates, minus the IPL contingent, touched down this week ahead of tomorrow’s four-day tour opener against Sussex.

NZ Cricket has been contacted for comment.

Williamson – who sat out the latter part of the home season including two tests against South Africa to recover from an elbow injury – had a tough IPL season for the Sunrisers by his very high standards.

In 13 innings he scored 216 runs at a strike rate of 93.5 – the lowest of the 44 batters in the tournament who have scored over 200 runs.