New Zealand coach Gary Stead says skipper Kane Williamson is a class act but hopes other batters can also shine v India
NZ skipper Kane Williamson during his 106* v SA recently. Pic /Getty Images
Manchester: NZ coach Gary Stead is hoping their batting comes through when it's most needed – against India — in the first semi-final here tomorrow.
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NZ were involved in low-scoring games except against West Indies and England. While the bowlers just about managed to restrict WI to win by five runs at Manchester on June 22, the Kiwi batters flopped when it came to tackling England's 305-8 to lose by 119 runs on Wednesday.
There is a wide gap between NZ skipper Kane Williamson and the rest of the batting group. While Williamson has 481 runs from seven innings, the next best in their line-up is Ross Taylor with 261 runs in seven innings. With NZ's semi-final opponents India having a penchant for putting up big runs, Stead is aware their batsmen will have to step up.
Gary Stead
"Kane is a world-class batsman, so I think if you look back over the years there might be quite some gap [between him and the rest of the side]. There's no doubt that batting is one area we've probably struggled with more throughout this tournament. There was a lot of chat at the start about 350-plus scores. We haven't had any of those in this tournament and maybe there's a bit of a hangover from that in some of our guys who thought it might have been a bit easier [to play shots] than what it's been," said Stead yesterday. Nonetheless, the coach was happy that the batsmen have taken responsibility when it mattered the most. "When you get to the World Cup and every team you play has quality players, then I guess there's no room for not being right at the top of your game. For some of our guys, we've struggled a wee bit, but we are the first to put our hands up and admit that. Other guys have stood up in their places and still got us over the line when it counted," he said.
Also Read: World Cup 2019: Bowling strategy: Why five is just fine for Team India
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