"We've tried to learn and grow throughout the tournament" - Kane Williamson ahead of the ultimate T20 World Cup 2021 Final
New Zealand skipper williamson" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Kane Williamson has divulged that his troops have consistently tried to learn and grow throughout the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021. The 31-year-old Kiwi also believes his side will have another opportunity to grow when they face neighboring rivals Australia on Sunday. It will be in the T20 World Cup 2021 Finals in Dubai.
Both sides are coming into the match on the back of thrilling victories in the semi-finals. The Trans-Tasman finale is also expected to be a bewitching encounter, to say the least.
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Ahead of the much-anticipated final, Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson lauded the all-round quality of the tournament. He opined that no team was a clear favorite but any team could've beaten anyone on their day. During a virtual pre-match press conference, the New Zealand captain said:
"The tournament has been exciting, you look across the board and saw match-winners throughout and that every team could beat anyone on their day. We've tried to learn and grow throughout and we have another opportunity to do that."
Williamson also drew parallels between the two enthralling semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2021. Williamson, while taking the two tightly-fought semi-finals into consideration, said that a game can take sharp turns due to some key individual performances.
Both New Zealand and Australia had a see-saw of semi-final encounters against England and Pakistan respectively. Eventually the two Oceania countries pulled off memorable victories to cement their place in the finals of the competition.
Here's what Kane Williamson had to say about the two enchanting semi-finals:
"We saw a pretty exciting semi-final, both semi-finals actually were somewhat similar. You see moments in games that are match defining and games that can take quite a sharp turn when you have some key performances."
"The loss of Devon (Conway) is a big one"- Kane Williamson
The Black Caps skipper further lamented Devon Conway's loss due to an injury. He said it was is a "big one" and has called it a disappointing thing.
New Zealand will be without wicketkeeper-batter Devon Conway, who suffered a self-inflicted hand injury during the semi-final against England. It was earlier confirmed that Conway's fellow wicket-keeper batter Tim Siefert will replace the left-hander for the finals against Australia.
Devon Conway has been ruled out of the @T20WorldCup Final and following tour to India with a broken right hand. Conway sustained the injury when he struck his bat immediately after being dismissed in last night’s semi-final. More Info | on.nzc.nz/3qC95mq #T20WorldCup https://t.co/JIm9o6Rhxe
Kane Williamson mentioned that Conway's injury was a "freaky" thing to happen. He reflected, however, that his side is focusing on the task at hand and is looking to adapt to the different conditions in Dubai. Williamson said:
"The loss of Devin is a big one, he's been a big part of all formats for us. It's a disappointing and freaky thing to happen. For us, it's about keeping our focus on the task and all of our players are focused on the opportunity, to go out and adjust to a different venue and opposition tomorrow."
The T20 World Cup is guaranteed to have a new winner this time around. The stage will be set for New Zealand and Australia to battle out at the Dubai International Stadium for the ultimate finals on November 14.