With Virat Kohli retired from T20Is and Tests, and Steve Smith from ODIs, another member of the ‘Fab Four,’ Kane Williamson, is on his way, phasing himself gradually out of international cricket, as the former New Zealand skipper has announced his retirement from T20Is.
This means that neither of the Fab Four members will be seen at next year’s T20 World Cup, with Smith and Joe Root having all but no chance of featuring in their country’s T20I teams.
Williamson made his T20I debut in 2011, and his last outing in the shortest international format was in June 2024, when his side crashed out from the group stage of the T20 World Cup 2024.
The right-hander featured in 93 T20I matches, ransacking 2575 runs, the second-most for New Zealand behind Martin Guptill, at an average of 33 and a strike rate of 123, notching up 18 half-centuries in the process.
Williamson led the Black Caps in 75 T20Is, leading them to semi-final appearances at the 2016 and 2022 T20 World Cups and to the runners-up position in the 2021 T20 World Cup.
Let us check out Williamson’s top three highest scores in T20Is.
Top 3 Highest Scores By Kane Williamson in T20I cricket:
3) 73* vs Bangladesh, Napier, 2017
In a T20I in McLean Park, Napier, in 2017 against Bangladesh, whose bowling attack included Shakib Al Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza, Rubel Hossain, and Mustafizur Rahman, Williamson cracked 73* off 55 balls in the chase of 142.
While opening the batting, Williamson anchored the chase brilliantly, taking his side over the line with two overs to spare. The right-hander thumped five fours and two sixes in his innings, eventually bagging the Man of the Match award.
2) 85 vs Australia, Dubai, 2021
This is one of the “What If” games for Kane Williamson and New Zealand. In the final of the 2021 T20 World Cup in Dubai, New Zealand started with a disadvantage as Australia won the toss and elected to bowl first: out of 12 matches in Dubai in that tournament, 11 were won by the side that won the toss and decided to chase.
Knowing that New Zealand would have to post an above-par total, Williamson led from the front with the bat. Against a world-class bowling attack of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Adam Zampa, Williamson smacked 85 runs off 48 balls, which consisted of 10 fours and three sixes. Starc had the worst night of his T20I career as he leaked 60 runs in four overs.
Williamson’s sizzling knock helped New Zealand to a total of 172 runs, which proved to be well below par. Australia were propelled by Mitchell Marsh’s sensational 77* (50), winning the final with seven balls to spare.
1) 95 vs India, Hamilton, 2020
Kane Williamson’s highest score in T20I cricket is 95, which he registered against India in Hamilton in January 2020. However, Williamson and the Kiwis suffered another heartbreak in this match, as India won the match in the Super Over.
Batting first, India posted 179 on the back of Rohit Sharma’s 65 (40). In the chase, Williamson top-scored with 95 (48) and put his side near the finishing line. However, other batters couldn’t finish the game, and it ended in a tie.
In the Super Over, Rohit smoked Tim Southee for two consecutive sixes when India needed 10 runs off two balls to inflict more hurt on New Zealand, and their captain, Kane Williamson, as his highest T20I score also went in vain.
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