Kane Williamson Reveals The Reason Behind Sending James Neesham And Martin Guptill In The Super-Over Of The World Cup Final

Kane Williamson, New Zealand captain, recently opened up about the reasoning behind him sending James Neesham and an out of form Martin Guptill in the super-over of the 2019 World Cup final.

Williamson recently appeared on Ravichandran Ashwin’s Youtube show ‘DRS with Ash’ where he revealed that the rationale behind sending was James Neesham was that he was in good hitting form throughout the tournament.

“I had a very brief discussion with the coach Gary Stead, I had a few guys in my mind who could go out to bat as we were going to bat second in the Super Over, the decision to send out batsmen was dependent on how much we were chasing and who the bowler is probably going to be,” Kane Williamson told Ravichandran Ashwin on the spinner`s YouTube show titled `DRS with Ash’.

Also Read: IPL Is The Biggest Domestic Competition: Kane Williamson

‘The guys were filled with emotion after what really transpired’- Kane Williamson

As far as sending Martin Guptill was concerned, Kane Williamson said that the openers’ ability to take quick singles despite him not being in the best of form, contributed towards that decision.

“It was about giving yourself with the best possible opportunity, Neesham was hitting the ball very well throughout the World Cup and we all know how capable Guptill really is of hitting the ball out of the park, there was a short boundary on one side of the ground. They are both quicks between the 22 yards so this helped too.” Williamson added.

Needing 16 to win in the Super-Over, James Neesham smoked Jofra Archer for a six to reduce the target to 9 off 4 balls but Archer and England kept their nerves to restrict the Kiwis to 15.

“I was padded up to come in at three, it was a different experience to be a part of, both Neesham and Guptill did a good job, Jofra Archer is a remarkable bowler, emotions were so high after the final, it was a long tournament when the time comes and it finishes, it’s like of a draining feeling as all of it finishes. The guys were filled with emotion after what really transpired,” Kane Williamson said.

The super-over also resulted in a tie but England was declared as winners on the back of the boundary count rule, much to the ignominy of the Kiwis and millions of fans around the world.

Also Read: Ian Smith Recollects The Dramatic Scenes Of The 2019 World Cup Final