Picture Credit: Twitter/@T20WorldCup
"Cometh the hour, cometh the man" - This describes Kane Williamson perfectly when it comes to big games for New Zealand. On Sunday, the 31-year-old was probably leading his side in one of the most important matches in their white-ball cricket history. Suffering from tennis elbow, he did not have a great tournament with respect to his high standards but he rose to the occasion when it mattered the most for his side.
With Daryl Mitchell dismissed and Martin Guptill struggling at one end, New Zealand were literally struggling at the half-way mark of first innings with the score reading 57/1 in 10 overs. The onus was on the Kiwi captain to get his side going and he did show some positive intent in the subsequent over. But it looked like the end of his stay for the day as he hit the ball straight towards Josh Hazlewood standing at fine-leg. Shockingly, the Aussie bowler made a mess of the chance as the ball went through his hands.
Williamson leads from the front in Dubai
This was it! Williamson had been presented with a second life and he certainly made full use of the opportunity. He smashed Starc for two back-to-back boundaries and there was no stopping him after that. The right-handed batsman played some glorious shots and smashed the Aussie bowlers all over the park.
He went on to score 85 runs off 48 deliveries, which included 10 fours and 3 sixes. He batted at a phenomenal strike-rate of 177.08 and almost scored half of the runs for his side as New Zealand went on to post a competitive total of 172/4 in 20 overs.
Watch Williamson's knock here:
Having played a match-winning knock in 2021 WTC final, his knock on Sunday proved once again that Williamson is certainly one of the best big-match players in modern era. Notably, his 85-run knock against Australia was the highest-ever score by a captain in a T20 World Cup final.