T20 World Cup 2022: "New Zealand will be happier than Kane Williamson" - Gautam Gambhir lauds Kiwi skipper's knock vs Ireland
Gautam Gambhir feels the New Zealand team will be happier than Kane Williamson himself after their skipper played a match-winning knock in their T20 World Cup 2022 clash against Ireland.
Williamson scored 61 runs off 35 balls as the Black Caps set a 186-run target for the Irish in their final Group 1 Super 12 game in Adelaide on Friday, November 4. Their bowlers then restricted Andrew Balbirnie and Co. to 150/9 to register a 35-run win and confirm their spot in the semi-finals.
During a discussion on Star Sports, Gambhir was asked about his views on Williamson's knock. He responded:
"I feel New Zealand will be happier than Kane Williamson, with the way he batted today. He was not in that bad a form. Yes, you can talk about the strike rate but runs were coming from his bat, it was not that he was not contributing at all."
The former India opener reckons Friday's knock will hold the Kiwi captain in good stead in the knockout matches. He elaborated:
"The sort of knock he has played today, he will look more fluent in the business end of the tournament, especially in the semi-finals. So I believe it was an excellent knock from New Zealand's point of view."
A classy knock from a classy player 👏
Kane Williamson was back to his best against Ireland!
#T20WorldCup | #IREvNZ https://t.co/hvyf2jhDWq
New Zealand, who finished their group-stage engagements with seven points and a net run rate of 2.113, will likely be the Group 1 toppers. They will face the second-placed team from Group 2 in the semi-finals in such a scenario.
"He believed in his process" - Sanjay Bangar on Kane Williamson
Sanjay Bangar praised Williamson for sticking to his tried-and-tested methods. He explained:
"It was an extremely important match for New Zealand. Conway struggled and when Kane Williamson came, he was also not getting runs easily. But he believed in his process. He ran well between the wickets and tried to hit over the infield when he got the opportunity."
The former India all-rounder concluded by observing that Williamson demonstrated that he can also play the aggressor's role. He stated:
"When his eyes were set in the end, he used the square boundaries well. He found the gap between mid-wicket and long-on against spin quite often. So he ticked a lot of the boxes. He showed that he does not play with just one template, he can also force the pace."
14*(14) to 61(35) by Kane Williamson, he find touches in big moments and when team needed the most for Kiwis.
Captain Kane leading from front. https://t.co/ItUl2EzjnJ
Williamson struck five fours and three sixes during his innings. He went at a run-a-ball in the first 15 deliveries he faced before smashing 46 runs off the next 20 balls.