Tarouba (Trinidad): New Zealand have finally registered their first of the T20 World Cup after crushing Uganda by nine wickets in Group C. Skipper Kane Williamson praised his team’s clinical performance against minnows African side and said they will rest and prepare for their final group stage clash against Papua New Guinea.
New Zealand asked Uganda to bat first and the Kiwi bowlers gave the jolting start to the opponent from which they never recovered. Tim Southee came out with the figures of 3/4 while Trent Boult, Mitchell Santner and Rachin Ravindra bagged two scalps each to bowl out Uganda for 40 in 18.4 overs.
In the mere chase, Devon Conway’s unbeaten 22* guided them to a dominating nine-wicket win at Brian Lara Stadium.
“Need to train again and play again. The same discussions all again. Have been respectful about the conditions, we’ll rest and play again in a couple of days,” Williamson said in the post-match reaction.
“Our guys were good. Was a tough surface. Not a lot of control of ideas and methods. That made a difference. We saw that in the previous match, it has been unique, better to play this way in this match. The teams have been getting more exposure at the highest level, helps to develop as a team. Having that exposure is always a great experience to learn from,” he added.
In their previous matches, New Zealand lost to Afghanistan and co-hosts West Indies to miss the entry to the next round.
New Zealand have been knocked out of the Super Eight stage of the tournament and will play their final game at the same venue on Monday.
–IANS