Sensible approach pays off for Williamson

Kane Williamson felt the need to play sensibly at the Basin Reserve and was rewarded with a match-winning hundred.

Published : Jan 06, 2018 19:26 IST

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson scored a 10th ODI hundred in his side's 61-run Duckworth-Lewis win over Pakistan on Saturday.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson scored a 10th ODI hundred in his side's 61-run Duckworth-Lewis win over Pakistan on Saturday.
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New Zealand captain Kane Williamson scored a 10th ODI hundred in his side's 61-run Duckworth-Lewis win over Pakistan on Saturday.

Kane Williamson was happy to reap the rewards for a responsible approach after his century gave New Zealand a 61-run Duckworth-Lewis win in the first one-day international against Pakistan.

The New Zealand captain (115) scored a 10th ODI hundred with support from Colin Munro (58) and Henry Nicholls (50) at the Basin Reserve, where his side posted 315-7 on Saturday.

Pakistan was 166-6 in the 31st over when rain brought the match to a premature end in Wellington, Tim Southee (3-22) the pick of the bowlers and Fakhar Zaman top scoring with 82 not out. Williamson - dropped by Sarfraz Ahmed on 26 - scored at almost a run a ball, but resisted the temptation to cut loose and felt that paid off.

READ: Williamson century guides Black Caps past Pakistan

"It was holding in the wicket a little bit, and you come to a point in your innings where you either address it sensibly and accept that's what it is doing, or you do something silly," the skipper said. "I was a little bit more sensible and accepting of the fact that they did bowl well for a long time there, and I felt we were perhaps fortunate to get that above 300 score.

"They did execute their plans well, the wind was tough to deal with, and maybe that's where we gained an upper hand, but you do ebb and flow through an innings.

"You're always thinking about the role you need to play and the situation of the game, and it certainly didn't require something silly."

Pakistan skipper Sarfraz said the tourist will go back to the drawing board and accepted some responsibility for a defeat in the first of five ODIs. "It's a setback for us, especially after losing two wickets in the first over," said Sarfraz who also shouldered part of the blame for his own fielding lapse.

"New Zealand's batsmen batted well, especially Kane Williamson. If you drop catches, it becomes tough. Hopefully we will sit together and come up with a better performance next time."

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