Kane Williamson Admits Afghanistan Was Too Good in T20 World Cup Match

June 8, 2024 0 744

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson praised Afghanistan’s outstanding cricket display, conceding they were thoroughly outperformed in all aspects of the game during their 84-run loss.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson acknowledged Afghanistan’s comprehensive victory in the T20 World Cup, praising their all-round performance. Williamson commended Afghanistan for their strong batting display, which led to a challenging total on the pitch. Reflecting on the loss, he expressed the team’s need to quickly move on and prepare for their upcoming challenges in the tournament.

“Congrats to Afghanistan, they simply outplayed us in all facets. To get to that total on that surface, they kept their wickets and made a good score. We’ll have to put this behind us quickly and get back to our next challenge. The boys did work hard in preparations for this match (on the lack of match practice), but it was hard and we need to move on quickly. Games come thick and fast in this tournament. 160 was a tough chase, but we needed partnerships, the skills they had made it difficult for us,” said Williamson in the post-match press conference.

On the match front, Rahmanullah Gurbaz shined brightly once more, scoring 80 runs off 55 balls to give Afghanistan a strong start, propelling them to a total of 159/6. The lethal bowling combination of Rashid Khan and Fazalhaq Farooqi then wreaked havoc, each claiming four wickets to dismiss New Zealand for a mere 75 runs in 15.2 overs.

Rashid Khan’s spell of 4/17 set a new record for the best bowling figures by a captain in T20 World Cup history, while Farooqi became the first player ever to take consecutive four-wicket hauls in the tournament’s history.

Williamson also lamented their fielding lapses, particularly in the first 10 overs, where missed chances allowed Afghanistan to build their imposing total. He then acknowledged the need to improve ahead of their next match.

“Our fielding was a letdown, particularly in the first 10 overs, we had our chances and we didn’t use them. We need to take a step in the right direction, we know we are better than this, we’ll have to go away and give ourselves the best chance going into the next match. We didn’t take our opportunities and it goes a long way in changing the outcome of the match. Once they had a score, their bowlers executed their skills well. We’ll have a talk about this and then look to come back well in the next match,” he concluded.