2017 ICC Champions Trophy: England Outplayed Us In All Departments – Kane Williamson
Nov 2, 2023 at 3:46 PM
New Zealand commenced their campaign with a mighty impressive performance against Australia in their opening game but found themselves at the wrong end against hosts England at Cardiff.
On a rather overcast day, skipper Kane Williamson made the right choice to bowl first and put the English openers in. The move paid off, as Jason Roy was sent back quickly, but then the Kiwis had to face some serious resistance in the form of Alex Hales and Joe Root, as both piled up impressive half-centuries.
A few quick wickets in the middle order did peg the scoring rate to a certain extent, but then Jos Buttler played a blinder to get England past that 300 run mark. In need to a high total, New Zealand was rocked early by Jake Ball before skipper Kane Williamson contributed with another superb half-century.
However, as the pitch kept on misbehaving with uneven bounce, Williamson became a casualty, edging one to Buttler behind the stumps. From there on, it was just a nose dive, as England wrapped up the game by 87 runs. Post the loss, Williamson admitted that his side was outplayed by England in all departments.
“The nature of the English batting is that they bat deep,” said Williamson. “In all areas, England outplayed us today. It was tough out there. Credit to them. They deserved everything they got today. We were trying to get a partnership, get some momentum. It was a tough surface to start on.”
“When we lost wickets, it was a tough job for the middle and lower order. The wind was a big factor. That’s the game, isn’t it? It was a little bit two paced, you had to watch the ball hard, don’t think I watched the ball hard enough,” said Williamson.