Kane Williamson’s ploy of using up the pacers upfront against the West Indies brought in disastrous results for his side, prompting the New Zealand captain to term the modern-day T20s a game of “cat and mouse.”
The overs of frontline pacers Trent Boult (4-1-16-3) and Lockie Ferguson (4-0-27-2) were exhausted by the 18th over, and Williamson had to rely on medium pacer Daryl Mitchell and left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner in the 18th and 19th over.
However, Windies batter Sherfane Rutherford, who made an unbeaten 68 off 39 balls while coming at No. 6, faced all those 12 balls and biffed 37 runs, including four sixes.
It made a telling difference to the match’s outcome too, as West Indies raced from 112 for 9 to 149 for 9 and then restricted the Kiwis to 136 for 9.
“I think whatever overs that they (Mitchell and Santner) did bowl were going to be targeted. So, that’s the sort of the margins that you’re always dealing with,” Williamson said in the post-match press meet.
“I think, in T20 cricket nowadays with teams that are batting a lot deeper…you’re always trying to sort of play that game of cat and mouse, I suppose,” he rued.
Williamson said he was trying to take the final Windies wicket while deploying Boult and Ferguson a tad earlier than they actually meant to.
“So, for us to try and take that wicket and try and have the opportunity to sort of restrict them in that 120 region, I think it (using up the pacers early) was worth doing but didn’t quite pay off,” he added.
Williamson praised Rutherford’s calculated batting.
“From 90/7, to get to 150 was a fantastic effort and incredibly smart and calculated batting from Rutherford.
“To put a contribution like that up on that surface was world-class and really got them a strong total on that wicket,” he said.
New Zealand are now bottom of the Group C without a point from two matches, and their net run rate is -2.42.
They will have to beat Uganda and Papua New Guinea to retain even the mathematical chances to enter the Super Eight.
But even that might not be enough because if Afghanistan, who have now four points, beat PNG on Friday then it will be curtains for the Kiwis regardless of the result of their next two matches.
West Indies have already qualified for the Super Eight from this group.
Williamson summed up the helpless state of his side.
“We know that it’s going to be a real scrap. It’s not going to be easy but if you win some small moments, matchups go your way then that can be a defining element to your whole tournament. It hasn’t happened for us which is frustrating,” he added.
