Picture Credit: Disney+ Hotstar
It is a game of fine margins they say. The T20 World Cup final is currently underway at the Dubai International Stadium and what a roller coaster it has already been in around one hour of play so far. While Australia won the toss and invited New Zealand to have a bat first, the Kiwis seemingly had a great start with 9 coming from the first over itself. However, Australians took charge from there on and ensured that the Kiwis manage only 32/1 inside the powerplay.
After losing Daryl Mitchell in the fourth over, it was up to Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill to bail the innings out of a difficult phase but the duo found run-scoring difficult. Deciding they should get a move on, Williamson, who had been striking at under a 100 before this game, scored a couple of boundaries but was lucky to get a life when he was dropped off the bowling off Mitchell Starc.
The incident happened in the 4th ball of the 11th over. Sensing a scoring opportunity with a full toss coming his way, Williamson tried to find the boundary on the on side. While it looked like he had timed it well for a while, Josh Hazelwood placed himself perfectly under the ball and it looked like the end of Williamson. But the ball burst through his hands and it went for a boundary.
Here is the video:
To add salt to Australia's wounds, the New Zealand captain hit the successive two balls for boundaries as well, taking 19 runs from the 11th over. The over not only gave Williamson a life but gave their innings the impetus which they seemed to be lacking before.
Post the dropped catch, the 31-year-old completed his half-century before taking on Mitchell Starc for 22 runs in his next over. In the second semifinal between Pakistan and Australia, the dropped catch by Hasan Ali of Matthew Wade seemingly cost the Men in Green the game. Aussies would hope history does not repeat itself in the final as both sides chase their maiden T20 World Cup title.