New Zealand captain Kane Williamson played one of the most extraordinary innings of the tournament, in the intense pressure-situation of the final, in conditions that were not suitable for batting as he made a brilliant 85 in just 48 balls, to take his side to a commanding total of 172/5 at the end of 20 overs.
Despite playing such a brilliant innings, Williamson finished on the wrong side of the result, once again coming up short in the WC final, after disappointing losses in the 2015 and 2019 50-over World Cup finals.
Williamson’s superb contribution went in vain as Aussie batsmen David Warner and Mitchell Marsh made short work of the target. After the game, captain Kane said that in hindsight, it was only natural to think that his New Zealand team could’ve created more opportunities.
“It was a little bit frustrating. We thought on that surface there’d be a few opportunities to do that and to build some pressure. The Aussies were outstanding in their chase and very very clinical.
The guys worked hard to what we thought was a competitive total. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to create many opportunities and get those breakthroughs. When you lose, you look at a number of different areas and you want more of everything.”
he said.
The extremely humble Williamson did not attach much importance to his own innings, which was undoubtedly New Zealand’s best by far. He also felt that the toss had a major role to play in the eventual outcome, with the pitch probably getting a little easier to bat on under the lights. Williamson also confessed that batting first against a quality bowling attack like Australia was not easy, and that he personally felt 172 was a good score to try and defend.
“It did feel tough – it was just holding in the wicket a bit. I was trying to play the situation as well as I could, build some partnerships, which we were able to do, and get a little bit of momentum after what was quite a tough start on that surface. And yes, it felt nice to make a contribution”
the Black Caps’ skipper said post-match.
As for the toss, Williamson didn’t have a lot to say, as was expected of him:
“I think the decisions are made on the conditions, knowledge of the conditions. We’ve seen every team try to chase the night games here and we would have tried to do the same but didn’t get the toss and that’s the way it goes. I don’t think it’s an advantage for doing one or the other. All you can focus on is the ability of cricket you try and play and we certainly did our very best, but Australia were outstanding”
Trent Boult was the only bowler who was able to do well for the Black Caps, producing fine effort, picking up 2/18 in his four overs.Ish Sodhi, who was excellent throughout the tournament, had a particularly forgettable night, as he was taken to the cleaners, with figures of 0/40 in his three overs.
“The bowling attack’s been a real strong point for us throughout this competition … you can always look at little bits that you want to do a little better, but ultimately, the quality was there from Australia”
Williamson remarked,
When asked if New Zealand regarded themselves as one of the powerhouses of World Cricket, he mentioned his side’s WTC victory,and added that while it was good that they were successful, every team would like to take hold of the trophy, as the Aussies were immersed in their celebrations.
“You want to win these comps, you want the fruit – but so do a lot of other teams.”
Williamson added.
