NZ v PAK 2020: 'Very satisfying to beat a strong Pakistan team' - Kane Williamson
Kane Williamson was pleased to celebrate his return to the New Zealand set-up with a comfortable win over Pakistan in the second T20I. The New Zealand captain hit an unbeaten half-century and scored the winning runs to help his country seal the series win with a game to spare. He said he was very satisfied with the way his side went about their business in the win.
Speaking during the presentation ceremony after the game, Williamson said:
"It was an emotional ten days. You try to play the role as well as you can, the boys have been playing so beautifully. We know how strong this Pakistan team is. So it's really satisfying for us to get across the line."
Kane Williamson returned to the New Zealand team after missing the second Test against the West Indies and the first T20I against Pakistan, as he was on a parental leave. But he showed no signs of rustiness whatsoever in a classy display with the bat.
Williamson shared an unbeaten partnership of 129 with Tim Seifert to help New Zealand win by nine wickets, with the latter scoring 84 runs. Williamson heaped praise on the wicket-keeper batsman, and felt that he took the pressure off the rest of the team.
"Fantastic innings by Seifert there, and a really good effort with the ball. It was a good surface, there was something for the bowlers and you could build partnerships. We were chasing a par total and a couple of wickets would have made it more difficult for us. Seifert was banging it around and took the pressure off," Williamson said.
Tim Southee named Man of the Match after dismantling Pakistan
While Tim Seifert starred with the bat, it was Tim Southee who won the Man of the Match award for his brilliant spell of 4/21 in his four overs. The New Zealand pacer took the key wickets of Haider Ali, Mohammad Rizwan and Abdullah Shafique to set the tone, as Pakistan experienced another top-order collapse.
His quality swing bowling made him almost unplayable at times. And he played a crucial role in helping New Zealand restrict Pakistan to just 163/6.
Southee said after the game, "The ball was swinging a bit, so it Wass nice to get the job done tonight. I just wanted to hold the shape, put the ball in the right areas and ask questions. Pakistan a quality side, and they would be disappointed over the results - but we know they will come hard at us in the third T20I."
New Zealand chased down the target comfortably to seal the series win with a game to spare.