Following New Zealand’s win against Afghanistan in an ICC T20 World Cup 2021 clash at Abu Dhabi, skipper Kane Williamson said that his side had a really pleasing outing.
New Zealand crushed Afghanistan by 8 wickets in their fifth match of the T20 World Cup 2021 and became the fourth team to qualify for the semi-finals. They also eliminated India out fo the race for semis.
Bowling first, New Zealand bowlers were all over the Afghanistan batters and reduced them to 56/4 at the halfway stage of their innings. Najibullah Zadran led the fightback for this team and played a vital knock of 73 runs to help his team post a total of 124 runs on the board.
Even though New Zealand lost both the openers while chasing, but an unbeaten 68-run partnership between skipper Kane Williamson and Devon Conway took the Black Caps home with 11 balls to spare and seal a place in the semi-finals.
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Speaking at the post-match presentation, Kane Williamson said that it was a strong performance by his side. He remarked that setting the tone early with the ball and restricting them below the par-score was nice.
"It was a strong performance. We know how dangerous this Afghanistan side is, they have got match-winners in all departments. It was nice to set the tone with the ball first up, take some early wickets which is always good and restrict them to a below-par score on a 150-155 surface,” Kane Williamson said.
Williamson admitted that they knew there were threats in the second innings and they tried to do suck the things and get as close as they could to the target. He also said that it has been a challenge to adjust quickly to playing at three different venues.
"In the second innings, we knew there were big threats to navigate and we tried to suck things up and get as close as we could. We would have batted first today, it's not been the case in a number of the surfaces here. It's certainly been a challenge to adjust quickly playing at three different venues. That's the beauty of the game," he said.
Williamson said that it was a pleasing outing for his side ahead of the semifinal against England. He stressed that in day games it’s important to set the tone and bring energy, which his side did well.
“We know we have got another strong challenge coming up in a few days time but really pleasing outing today for the team. Great fielding effort as well, that was outstanding. With the day games, it's important to set the tone in the park and bring that energy and we saw that from everybody,” he said.
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Kane Williamson admitted that facing England in the semifinal would be very challenging but his side needs to focus on the sort of cricket they want to play.
"They (England) are a very strong side, for us it's important we keep learning and focus on the sort of cricket we want to play. It's been an incredibly tough competition and we've seen a lot of tight games as well. We are looking forward to the occasion," he said.
New Zealand will take on England in the semifinal 1 of T20 World Cup 2021 at Abu Dhabi on 10th November.
(ANI inputs)
