New Zealand’s Kane Williamson expecting a tough task in UAE

Joy Chakravarty 18:31 03/12/2014
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  • Dynamic duo: Kane Williamson and Brendon McCullum leave the field at the end of the third Test against Pakistan in Sharjah.

    Kane Williamson, standing in as New Zealand captain for the Twenty20 and One Day International series against Pakistan, will have to overcome major challenges if he wants to steer his side to victory.

    Not only would the Kiwis miss the leadership of Brendon McCullum after he decided to head back home and rest for the home series against Sri Lanka followed by the Cricket World Cup, but the impact would be even more massive given the form and style of his batting.

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    McCullum score a blistering double century in the third Test match against Pakistan last week, which completely took the momentum away from the ‘hosts’ and set the platform for their innings and 80 run victory.

    Also missing the T20 and ODI series are their four most successful bowlers from the Test series – pace duo of Trent Boult and Tim Southee, and the spin pair of Mark Craig and Ish Sodhi.

    And Williamson, who scored a stylish 192 himself in the Sharjah Test, felt his new-look style would face up to the challenge of taking on a formidable Pakistan side.

    “I think it is good for Brendon to head home and get some time off. But he is obviously a fantastic leader for our side and ultimately he is the captain,” said the 24-year-old Williamson.

    “Although it is a privilege to step in as captain for this series, Brendon has been setting things in place and moving the team forward and I suppose this is just a matter of taking over that baton a little bit.

    “Brendon’s skill and leadership will be missed, but we have got a lot of experience in the team. There are the likes of Kyle Mills, Danny Vettori and Ross Taylor and various other players who have played a huge amount of cricket.

    Williamson said the change of format and personnel would mean that they won’t have any momentum from the Test victory last week.

    “I think the Test was a nice victory and you have some nice feelings coming after a good victory,” he added.

    “But we have a very different side and a very different format, so our focus is very much with what’s on front of us. Although it’s very nice to come off the back of a victory, the challenge is very different. It’s probably not that relevant going into a T20 match.”

    And Williamson said the team was slowly getting over the massive shock following the death of Phil Hughes, which was very evident throughout the last three days of the Sharjah Test.

    “I think the initial shock was obviously evident in the game that was just played and naturally the grieving process moves forward and with time comes the healing,” he added.

    “I think it is perhaps a closure with the funeral today and our thoughts are with the people closest to Phil and the boys. Obviously, it is still reasonably fresh and though we do think in bits and pieces, at the same time we are looking forward to the cricket coming up.”

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