New Zealand captain Kane Williamson made a powerful comeback from his injury during the ODI World Cup 2023 with an impressive 95 runs against Pakistan in Bengaluru. This was Williamson's second match of the tournament, and he took charge against the Pakistan bowlers, scoring 95 runs off just 79 balls.
Right from the beginning, Williamson aggressively took on the Pakistan pacers, forming a strong partnership with Rachin Ravindra for the second wicket. His innings consisted of 10 boundaries and 2 sixes.
Williamson had been struggling with a thumb injury since his match against Bangladesh, where he had to retire hurt while batting at 78* off 107 balls. This injury setback was a major blow to the New Zealand team, considering it was his first match after a six-month hiatus.
During the match against Pakistan, New Zealand dominated the bowling attack and scored runs aggressively in the batting-friendly conditions of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Anticipating rain later in the innings, Pakistan chose to bowl first, but the decision didn't go their way, as Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra built a solid foundation, adding 68 runs for the first wicket.
After Conway's dismissal, Williamson seized control of the game, taking on the Pakistan pacers with his aggressive batting. He showcased a diverse range of shots, contributing 180 runs off 142 balls.
Williamson's innings came to an end when he attempted to clear the long-off boundary off Iftikhar Ahmed but failed to make a proper connection, leading to his dismissal at long-on by Fakhar Zaman.
At the time of his dismissal, New Zealand had reached 248 runs in the 35th over of the match.
With three consecutive losses, New Zealand is determined to secure a victory in this game, which would bring them closer to the semi-final spots and, in turn, eliminate Pakistan from the race for the final four. In their bid to do so, the side saw a late surge from Glenn Phillips that took the team to 401 runs for the side.
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