"There were flashbacks of the last time Stoin hit us for a 100" - Kane Williamson on thrilling win in Dunedin
Kane Williamson revealed that he got flashbacks of the 2017 Eden Park ODI against Australia, during New Zealand's second T20I against their Trans-Tasman rivals on Thursday.
Batting first in Dunedin, New Zealand posted a total of 219, riding on half-centuries from Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson. Australia was down to 113/6 in the second innings before Daniel Sams and Marcus Stoinis formed a 92-run partnership for the seventh wicket. The Aussies needed 15 off the last six deliveries.
Williamson handed the ball to medium-pacer James Neesham, who took two wickets and conceded only ten runs. New Zealand won the contest by four runs and went 2-0 up in the series.
Reacting to his team's close victory at the post-match presentation, Kane Williamson said:
"There were flashbacks of the last time Stoin (Marcus Stoinis) hit us for a 100 or so. It was an incredible partnership at the end. As we know, on these sorts of grounds, anything can happen."
"You have to be on your game the whole innings because it can change so quickly. Think it was a pretty strong performance from us across the board but it's such a small margin in the T20 format," Williamson added.
In the 2017 Eden Park ODI between New Zealand and Australia, the hosts set a 287-run target for their rivals. The visitors lost their first six wickets for just 67 runs.
However, Marcus Stoinis brought them back into the game with an unbeaten 146*. The equation came down to 7 runs off 19 deliveries. Unfortunately, Josh Hazlewood got run out in the 47th over and the Kiwis won by six runs.
Can Kane Williamson and his men take an unassailable lead in the 5-match series?
With the victory in Dunedin, New Zealand took a 2-0 lead in the T20I series against Australia. The Aussies will need to win the remaining three matches to secure this series.
Meanwhile, New Zealand will look to take an unassailable lead in the series when the two sides lock horns at the Westpac Stadium next week. The Kiwis have an excellent record in Wellington, where they have won eight out of their 12 T20I matches on this ground.
Meanwhile, Australia has a 100% win record in T20Is at this venue. The last time New Zealand played a T20I at the Westpac Stadium, there were defeated by India in a Super Over.