Kane Williamson, curious about going back to SCG
Kane Williamson is uncertain as to whether returning to a place that his team is familiar with will be an extra benefit or drawback as New Zealand prepares for their third game at the Sydney Cricket Stadium on Wednesday (November 8), which happens to be the first semifinal of the World Cup.
At this very location, New Zealand won their World Cup opener with style, defeating the hosts, the current champions, and one of the overwhelming favorites, Australia, by 89 runs. That happened on a day when Aaron Finch’s team was bowled out for 111 after the bowlers bowled out the New Zealand batters for 200 runs.
They chose to bat first again to put up an impressive total the following week when they returned to the field to play Sri Lanka, but the top-order collapsed during the PowerPlay. After Sri Lanka had lowered New Zealand to 15 for 3 in just four overs, Glenn Phillips hit a brilliant century to bring his team back to a respectable total.
Kane Williamson said at the eve of the semifinal that the wicket of the first game they played was very good, but the second time that changed. Sometimes you might assume that the wicket would behave in the same way it did in the first game, which is not always the case, he added.
Allen made headlines in the match against Australia when he went after a renowned bowling attack on the way to a 16-ball 42 despite not being able to perform his miracles at the SCG the second time around. Five fours, three sixes, and the 23-year-old opener’s trademark carefreeness were all part of the barrage. Allen has only scored 91 runs in this tournament, but his strike rate of 189.58 is third best. Williamson praised the young player’s powerful ball striking and emphasized the importance of supporting his high-risk, high-reward style of play.
