It was a case of so close and yet so far for Kane Williamson and his New Zealand side as they fell to a narrow six-wicket defeat to Pakistan in the second T20 at Dubai on Friday.
Having fallen short by two runs in the opening T20, the Blackcaps once again ran Pakistan close in the second match before Sarfraz Ahmed’s men cliched victory with two balls to spare.
“I think we have all seen the nature of playing in the UAE, it is a style of cricket and it is something we have worked very hard on. We have done that to a certain extent. We are playing Pakistan who are a very good side, especially in T20 cricket with their knowledge of the home conditions and how clinical they are,” Williamson said after the game.
“I think it is important that we take little lessons. We are playing good cricket and we need to make those small steps. We need to be a little better with the bat, little bit more clinical in certain areas. There are still margins, that’s important when we look at the positives which are plenty,” he continued.
It was the 11th successive T20 series win for the men in green and the Kiwi skipper insisted that their opponents were fully deserving of their No1 crown in the format.
“Yeah they have been outstanding for a long period of time and the ratings are fair. They are No1 so it is good. They are very very clinical over here in these conditions. They have been very consistent. Its upon us to improve and make those small steps,” Williamson explained.
While the series might have slipped out of New Zealand’s grasp with one match still to play, Williamson maintained that his men will look at every opportunity to improve themselves.
Corey Anderson was lauded for his unbeaten 28-ball 44.
“For us, it is about improving. Its small improvements. It’s a shame it will not define the series but at the same time, as a cricket team, it is always about improving and becoming a better side. Each game we play is an opportunity,” he said.
All-rounder Corey Anderson struck an unbeaten 25-ball 44 to help the Kiwis post 153-7 in their innings. Having made his return to international cricket after almost a year out with injury, Anderson’s display came as a huge positive for Williamson.
“He played really nicely tonight, a really good hand. Throughout the batting innings, you have various stages on this surface and it has been pretty clear for both sides. It was fantastic that he could play the way he did to give us what we thought was a very good first innings total,” Williamson said.
Another positive for the Blackcaps skipper was Colin Munro who continued to show his excellent form with a quick-fire 44 at the top of the innings.
“Colin’s been hitting the ball beautifully and got us off to two good starts in the two games which is really important in these conditions. He has been hitting beautifully and batting great. Let’s hope that continues. Once again, small frustrations but a lot of positives to take for the team.”
Williamson and his men will now hope they can end the series on a high when they take on Pakistan in the final T20 at Dubai on Sunday.
