New Zealand faced another loss in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 final where they lost to Australia. However, they registered a convincing win against England in the semi-final and many believed they might win the final too. Meanwhile, former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir was disappointed with their defeat.
After being put in to bat first, New Zealand had a struggling start in the powerplay overs. However, Kane Williamson played a captain’s knock with a superb 85 and helped them post a total of 172.
However, their bowlers seemed clueless as Australia chase down the total with ease and won by 8 wickets. The fifties by David Warner and Mitchell Marsh made sure they win their maiden T20 World Cup title as well.
Skipper Kane Williamson reflects on the team's efforts at the @T20WorldCup in the UAE. #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/J9Nn1lTH2r
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) November 14, 2021
Gautam Gambhir also echoed the same sentiments, saying that they didn’t look the same side that defeated India or England.
“My favourite side after India (for the T20 World Cup) was New Zealand. Seeing them bullied around like an apprentice wasn’t a pleasant experience,” Gautam Gambhir wrote in his column for The Times of India on Tuesday.
“They batted very well to score 172 for four. More often than not this kind of score isn’t that tough to defend, especially with a balanced attack like that of New Zealand. But clearly the occasion got to them as they didn’t look the same team that beat India or England in the semis,” he further added.
“It wasn’t a performance worthy of a final” – Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir further stated that it was not worthy of final performance from the Black Cap as the bowlers looked completely out of place.
“New Zealand is one team that prides itself on meticulous planning, clear role definitions, precise execution and all this without any fanfare…If I was a New Zealand supporter, I would have demanded a refund seeing my team all over the place in second half. It wasn’t a performance worthy of a final,” shared Gambhir.
“It was hard to understand why they (New Zealand) bowled short and on a wrong line to Mitchell Marsh. He is a Western Australian, played most of his cricket at WACA, Perth. So playing a pull shot would have been the first thing he would have learnt,” Gautam Gambhir concluded.
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