Published: Aug 21, 2015, 08:00 AM (IST)
Edited: Aug 20, 2015, 08:45 PM (IST)
Though the fairytale campaign for New Zealand in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 ended in a forgettable fashion, the tournament was a display of a couple of incredible individual performances that had laid hopes of a bright year ahead of them. However, recent results have exposed that their dominance is brought out only in home conditions — 11 consecutive victories on home soil — followed by a World Cup final and bilateral series defeats away from home. It is during these tough times that seniors are expected to step up. But what if they decide to take a break or an injury forces them to miss a tour? The Black Caps are faced with exactly that, with skipper Brendon McCullum opting to miss the vital tour of South Africa considering he has had a hectic schedule over the past few months; to make things worse, Ross Taylor is out due to a groin injury sustained earlier in the month. Sakshi Gupta explains that in their absence, the responsibility fell on the shoulders of Kane Williamson — all of 83 One Day Internationals (ODIs) — experienced enough to lead the side with both bat and in blazers. READ: New Zealand’s ability to learn quickly from their mistakes will make them a stronger team
The first ODI against the Proteas on Wednesday was one of the instances when New Zealand wished stand-in-captain Williamson batted till the end. Chasing a steep 304, the visitors needed a partnership that would help them cross the line. Following the quick departure of Luke Ronchi, Williamson joined Tom Latham at the middle. The two gave looked unstoppable with a 104-run stand for the second wicket until Williamson was dismissed in the 23rd over for a 69-ball 47. His wicket was followed by a batting collapse with only Jimmy Neesham holding fort with 41. New Zealand who fell short of 32 runs now trail 0-1 in the three match ODI series.
This has not happened for the first time when Williamson failed to convert a good start into a match-winning knock. His last eight innings include four 90s, of which the Black Caps have won twice and lost twice. The latest time Williamson threw his wicket away in the 90s was the final ODI against Zimbabwe. Had the hosts, who lost the series decider just by 38 runs, batted a little longer the result would have gone either way. And a bilateral series lost to Zimbabwe would have definitely not reflected well on Williamson’s CV as a captain.
The series opener against Zimbabwe that the visitors lost despite Taylor’s century demonstrated that it was high time Williamson starts to bat till the end.
Going back to the third ODI against Bangladesh in 2010, the 20-year old Williamson had stuck till the penultimate over when his entire team collapsed around him. He watched his teammates throw wickets away at the other end, but the youngest New Zealander to score an ODI ton; however, the pressure was too much for the youngster. Then a mere 5 ODIs old, Williamson got out replicating the same shot towards the deep mid-wicket that had earned him a boundary the previous delivery, and gave Bangladesh their first ever ODI series win against a full-fledged top-ranked side. READ: New Zealand will miss Ross Taylor sorely on South Africa tour 2015
That innings brought the kid into the notice of cricket fraternity. They marked him out as one for the future. However, the same man has added a mere six more centuries to his account in the next five years, and has not been very impressive under pressure.
Williamson is being rated one of the four best batsmen of his generation, the others being Virat Kohli, Steven Smith and Joe Root as well. While the other three have proved themselves as single-handed match-winners, Williamson is yet to do that on a consistent basis. Three out of his seven centuries came when Taylor was in the form that day scoring a century as well on the other side.
With both Taylor and McCullum in their 30s and nearing an end of their respective careers, it is time Williamson takes his game to the next level by delivering for New Zealand under pressure. It is about time he converts those 80s and 90s into match-winning bug hundreds. That should not be a big challenge for a cricketer as talented as Kane Williamson! READ: The advantage Joe Root and Kane Williamson have over Virat Kohli and Steven Smith
(Sakshi Gupta, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a sports fanatic whose mantra in life is “do only what you enjoy.” Her Twitter handle is @sakshi2929)
