News Analysis India

Tag: Kane Williamson

  • SRH management didn’t give reason for sacking me from captaincy, reveals Warner

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Star Australia batter David Warner on Tuesday claimed that the Sunrisers Hyderabad management did not provide him with any reason as to why he was removed from captaincy in the IPL earlier this season.

    Warner was replaced by New Zealander Kane Williamson as SRH captain during the first half of the IPL in India as the team was lying at the bottom after losing five out of six matches.

    The change in captaincy did not reverse SRH’s fortunes as they finished at the bottom of the IPL points table.

    A struggling Warner was omitted from the playing eleven in the last few matches when the lucrative T20 tournament resumed in the UAE.

    “With the utmost respect for the owners, Trevor Baylis, Laxman, Moody and Murali, when a decision gets made, it has to be a unanimous one. You don’t know who the person is going for you and who isn’t,” Warner told ‘India Today’.

    “The other disappointing thing for me was not being explained why I was dropped as captain. If you want to go along the lines of form, it is a difficult one because, I guess whatever you have done in the past would have some weight moving forward, you would think.”

    The 34-year-old Warner said being stripped off captaincy was “a tough pill to swallow” but he would want to move on.

    “Especially when you have played about 100 games for the franchise, I think I had four bad games in those first five matches in Chennai.

    “It is difficult, a tough pill to swallow. There are still questions to which I think I’ll never get answers, but you have to move on,” he added.

    The Australian said that he would love to represent SRH again but that is not in his hands.

    “I would love nothing more than to represent Sunrisers but obviously, that decision is with the owners,” he said.

    “I really enjoyed my time with Sunrisers, you all out there (fans) make it so special for us (family). Hopefully, I’ll get to come back out there, whether it be in the SRH uniform or someone else’s. I will salute you all when I come back to play in Hyderabad,” he added.

  • Umran Malik certainly is special: Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Kane Williamson

    By ANI

    ABU DHABI: Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain Kane Williamson believes that pace sensation Umran Malik is special after the Indian youngster clocked 153kph to bowl the fastest delivery of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

    Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) held the nerve to defeat Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by four runs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jason Holder, Siddarth Kaul, Umran Malik, and Rashid Khan picked one wicket each for SRH while Devdutt Padikkal and Glenn Maxwell played innings of 41 and 40 respectively for the RCB.

    Earlier, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) was restricted to the score of 141/7 as Harshal Patel scalped three wickets while Dan Christian and George Garton returned with two and one respectively. Yuzvendra Chahal also bagged one wicket. Jason Roy and Kane Williamson played innings of 44 and 31 respectively as SRH’s middle-order batters failed to bank on after such a good start.

    Kane Williamson, SRH skipper and Player of the Match during the post-match presentation said: “It’s been a tough season and it’s great to see some of those small improvements. To see those small adjustments was good, we thought that total was competitive and we saw that fight throughout the ball as well. I was just trying to maximize the powerplay and the ball was holding on the surface and we were fortunate to build a partnership and we knew things wouldn’t happen quickly from a bowling perspective, but we knew if we held our nerve and stay there for longer periods, we can build that pressure. Game was getting tight and dismissing him (Maxwell) one way or the other was the key, they are a fantastic side and even though we are not in the contention it was great to see the fight.”

    “He certainly is special (on Umran Malik). We saw him in the nets in the last couple of seasons and he is a real competitor and is proving to be effective even on slower surfaces. He’s got a lot of mates in the team as well and that helps in sharing the knowledge. It’s a great opportunity for the younger guys to get involved and hopefully we will keep learning and we go again on Friday,” he added. (ANI)

  • Challenging season but can’t overreact: SRH captain Kane Williamson after loss to KKR

    By PTI

    DUBAI: Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Kane Williamson feels that one shouldn’t overreact or try to over-compensate after what has been challenging season with the franchise set to finish last in eight team table. Williamson took over captaincy from David Warner but SRH’s fortunes remained the same.

    “The surfaces have varied a lot and I think we have seen that teams that have been successful have been able to adapt to these surfaces. Once again, it is important for us not to overreact and overcorrect. It has definitely been a challenging season for us in that aspect,” Williamson said after the defeat against KKR.

    Williamson said that when performance is not great, focus is shifted on a lot of things which adds to the problems. “I suppose personally, standing in as skipper in the second half of the tournament, you try to do have a collective focus. There are a number of things around the corner that can take the attention of the players, but you known that as a team, we are fortunate to be here,” Williamson further said.

    Williamson was disappointed that the couldn’t build on powerplay overs. “We got through the powerplay and there was an opportunity to build towards a 140-150 total and obviously we fell short of it. Williamson said after SRH went down by six wickets here on Sunday for the team’s 10th defeat of the ongoing IPL seaso,” he said.

    The surface didn’t allow any batter to settle down, said Williamson. “It was a challenging surface, it was hard to get your rhythm on because of the tennis ball bounce. Particularly with the new ball, it sat on the surface and it reflected on the low strike rates which have been quite interesting in the second half of the tournament,” he said about Sunday’s game.

  • Kane Williamson is a great captain, kept telling me I can finish match against Rajasthan Royals: Abhishek Sharma

    By ANI

    DUBAI: SunRisers Hyderabad all-rounder Abhishek Sharma has hailed skipper Kane Williamson for always showing faith in him and having the belief in the left-handed batter’s ability.

    Jason Roy and Kane Williamson played knocks of 60 and 51 respectively as SRH chased down 165 with seven wickets in hand to defeat Rajasthan Royals in the 18th over of the innings. Abhishek played an unbeaten knock of 21 runs off just 16 balls.

    “I think it was a big opportunity for me. I was waiting for my chance and wanted to contribute for my team. Feels good that this is our first game in Dubai. Throughout my time in the nets I was planning to play an innings such as this and take my team to victory,” Abhishek told host broadcaster Star Sports after the game ended.

    “Williamson is a great captain. He kept giving me the confidence and kept telling me that I could finish this match on my own,” he added.

    Earlier, Sanju Samson played a knock of 82 as Rajasthan Royals posted 164/5 in the allotted twenty overs. For SRH, Siddharth Kaul returned with two wickets.

    SunRisers will next lock horns against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Thursday in the IPL.

  • Jason Roy, Kane Williamson star in Hyderabad’s seven-wicket win over Rajasthan

    By PTI

    DUBAI: Opener Jason Roy and skipper Kane Williamson struck confident half-centuries to shape Sunrisers Hyderbad’s comfortable seven-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals as IPL Play-offs calculations got a bit more complicated, here on Monday.

    Opting to bat, the Royals scored 164 for six on the back of a well-calculated 82-run knock by skipper Sanju Samson on a sticky wicket where stroke-making was difficult.

    However, the score proved insufficient as Roy (60 off 42) and Williamson (51 not out)_led the team to their only second win of the season.

    The loss has dented the Royals’ playoff chances as they remained at the sixth spot with eight points while Sunrisers, who have been ruled out for the playoffs, remained at the bottom of the table.

    Now four teams — Kolkata Knight Riders, Punjab Kings, Royals and Mumbai Indians — are tied on eight points each and all are alive in the play-offs race in which CSK and Delhi Capitals are firm favourites for the top two places with 16 points each.

    Chasing 165, Roy, playing his first match for Sunrisers, and Wriddhiman Saha (18 off 11) raced to 57 for no loss.

    The two plundered 18 runs of the fifth over, bowled by Chris Morris, that included four fours.

    The fine partnership was broken by spinner Mahipal Lomror (1/22).

    Williamson and Roy, without taking much risk, continued to milk runs to take Sunrisers to 90 for one with 10 overs.

    Roy was dropped on 55 by Yashasvi Jasiwal off Rahul Tewatia but was caught off rookie pacer Chetan Sakaria (1/32) soon after.

    Priyam Garg (0) departed soon after as the Royals seem to be making a comeback.

    But Williamson and young Abhishek Sharma (21) then led the side over the line.

    Earlier, Samson produced his second consecutive fifty after conjuring up an unbeaten 70 against Delhi Capitals on Saturday.

    The captain sent the ball seven times to the fence and three times over it in his impressive 57-ball innings, with which he became the leading run-scorer (433) of the season, surpassing Delhi Capitals’ Shikhar Dhawan (430).

    Jaiswal (36) and Mahipal Lomror (29 not out), who was dropped twice (23 and 29), were the other two batters to provide valuable contributions on a wicket where the ball did not come on to the bat easily for a major part of Royals innings.

    Asked to bowl, pace spearhead Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/28) bowled a splendid length ball, on leg stump which worked perfectly for SRH as the dangerous Evin Lewis (6) hit straight to Abdul Samad at deep backward square leg in the second over.

    Despite snaring Lewis’ wicket early, the Sunrisers bowlers were guilty of bowling wide and short and Jaiswal took the opportunity to counterattack.

    The youngster, who smashed four boundaries and a six, played some splendid shots with skipper Samson also slowly finding his feet as the two collected 46 runs in the Powerplay.

    The duo went on to share a 56-run stand before Sandeep Sharma (1/30) got rid of Jaiswal, who had hit a stunning six just a ball earlier.

    To keep the pressure on the Royals, SRH skipper Kane Williamson brought in star Afghan leg-spinner Rashid Khan (1/31) back into the attack and a mis-hit by Liam Livingstone (4) meant the move was met with the desired result.

    With Lomror playing second fiddle to perfection, Samson took over the proceedings.

    But Siddharth Kaul (2/36) bowled a great last over, dismissing Samson and Riyan Parag (0) to restrict the Royals to 164 after being hit for 20 runs in his third over.

  • Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Kane Williamson wins toss, opt to field against Punjab Kings

    By PTI

    SHARJAH: Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Kane Williamson won the toss and opted to field against Punjab Kings in their Indian Premier League match here on Saturday.

    Punjab made three changes to their playing XI, handing debut to medium pacer Nathan Ellis and also bringing in Chris Gayle and Ravi Bishnoi while leaving out Fabian Allen, Ishan Porel, and Adil Rashid.

    Sunrisers, however, fielded the same playing XI.

    Teams:

    Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (c), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis

    Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson (C), David Warner, Wriddhiman Saha, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma and Khaleel Ahmed

  • Hoping to be fit and ready within the week: Sunrisers Hyderabad batsman Kane Williamson

    By PTI
    CHENNAI: Star New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson, who missed Sunrisers Hyderabad’s first two IPL matches due to an elbow injury, is recovering well and is expected to attain full match-fitness “within a week”.

    The 30-year-old Williamson, a vital cog in SRH’s middle order, suffered a small tear in his left elbow tendon and was ruled out of the home ODI series against Bangladesh in March ahead of the IPL.

    However, the New Zealand captain on Friday said his “recovery is going really well”.

    “…you know I have been focussed to get pain free as quickly as possible and we are certainly tracking really nicely and hoping to be fit and ready within the week,” Williamson said in a video posted by SRH in Twitter.

    “It’s been a bit of a balance between practice and rehab and sort of things. But for the most part, the progression is been really good. So pretty optimistic about being close to full fitness very soon.”

    Batting at number four, Williamson had scored 317 runs in 11 innings to take SRH to the play-offs last season in UAE.

    All eyes are once again on his return with Sunrisers losing both their matches this season, primarily due to their inept middle-order.

    Williamson had recently won his fourth Sir Richard Hadlee medal for excelling across formats and was also adjudged the ‘Test Player of the Year’ at cricket boards’ annual awards function held virtually.

    Sunrisers Hyderabad will take on formidable Mumbai Indians on Saturday.

  • IPL 2021: Virender Sehwag bats for Kane Williamson’s inclusion in playing XI after loss against RCB

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Former India swashbuckling batsman Virender Sehwag has batted for the inclusion of New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson in the SunRisers Hyderabad’s playing XI after the side lost against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday.

    David Warner-led side lost both the matches in the tournament. In their first game, they lost by 10 runs against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and then suffered a six-run loss against Virat Kohli-led side.

    Taking to Twitter, Sehwag shared the picture of Williamson and said “‘whom you are waiting for”.

    “Whom you are waiting for, I am here,” he wrote in Hindi.

    Kiska hai yeh tumko intezaar,Main hoon Na #SRHvsRCB pic.twitter.com/5ra0ZlUt90
    — Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) April 14, 2021

    Talking about Williamson’s fitness at the post-match press conference, SRH head coach Trevor Bayliss said, “Kane Williamson is out having a bit of a run now. He trained on one of the days – we had two days practice before this game and he practised on one of those days so he is coming along.”

    Warner’s half-century had put SRH on course of a victory but Shahbaz Ahmed ran through their middle order to help RCB register a thrilling six-run win on Wednesday.

    SRH were 115/2 before the start of the 17th over. But Ahmed scalped three wickets in that over and turned the tide in favour of the RCB. He bagged Jonny Bairstow (12), Manish Pandey (38) and Abdul Samad (0).

    After 17th over, SRH’s score read 116/5 and the side managed to reach 143/9 in their allotted 20 overs but failed to cross the line.

  • Rishabh Pant is like Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson, brilliant bloke to have in your team: Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting

    Rishabh Pant was given the charge of Delhi Capitals as regular skipper Shreyas Iyer was ruled out of IPL 2021 due to a shoulder injury.

  • Kane Williamson needed a little bit of extra time to get match fitness: SRH coach Trevor Bayliss

    By ANI
    CHENNAI: SunRisers Hyderabad coach Trevor Bayliss on Sunday said that Kane Williamson needs a bit of extra time to get to his match fitness as the New Zealand skipper missed the opening game for the side against Kolkata Knight Riders.

    SRH suffered a 10-run defeat against KKR here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium after Nitish Rana and Rahul Tripathi’s knocks of 80 and 53 were backed by a spirited bowling performance by the Eoin Morgan-led side.

    “We just felt that Kane needed a little bit of extra time to get match fit and a little bit more time in the nets. He would have played in place of Jonny Bairstow obviously if that had occurred. But we aren’t too perturbed about that, Jonny has been in form recently in white-ball cricket here in India. Kane will obviously come into calculations as the tournament unfolds,” Bayliss said in a virtual press conference after the game.

    Needing 57 off 24 balls at one stage, SRH promoted Vijay Shankar ahead of big-hitter Abdul Samad.

    When asked about sending Shankar before Samad, Bayliss said, “Vijay in our practice matches that we had a few days ago was our best player. He struck the ball beautifully and made 95 in one of the games, hit a lot of the balls long way over the fence. It’s always difficult in those situations whenever you go in you have to go pretty much from the first ball you face.”

    “Samad in a short space of time last IPL and this one has shown that he has a lot of talent and is a clean striker of the ball. I think as he gets more experience, he will get more opportunities,” he added.

    Bayliss further said that the side would continue to reward last season’s performers as they helped the team turn their fortunes around and make a late dash into the playoffs.

    “At the moment what we wanted to do is reward the guys who finished the tournament last year. We got off to a slow start the last tournament but came back well to reach the finals (playoffs). Someone like Saha opening and batting so well in that tournament we felt we should reward the guys who finished it so well for us last year,” the coach said.

    “Depending on fitness and form, we know Jonny can open the batting and keep as well. It gives us options but yes he has done well for England at number 4 recently,” he added.