Kane Williamson reveals why he sent Martin Guptill, Jimmy Neesham to bat in Super Over of World Cup final

The final of Cricket World Cup 2019 was absolutely dramatic. First, the match got tied and then the super over was tied as well. England beat New Zealand to get their hands on the trophy as they had scored more boundaries. It was a heartbreaking loss for the Blackcaps but cricket can be cruel at times.

Looking back at the final, there are a few things which either team can point out and say they could have sealed the deal at this particular moment. For New Zealand, there were a few moments which cost them the match. Had the throw from an outfielder not hit Ben Stokes‘ bat and gone for a four or had Martin Guptill completed the run, things could have been very different.

Months after that match, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson revealed what made him choose Guptill and Jimmy Neesham for batting in the super over. The Blackcaps were given a total of 16 runs to chase from the super over. Jofra Archer was going to bowl the over as Williamson threw his last dice at the playing area.

“I had a very brief discussion with the coach Gary Stead, I had a few guys in my mind who could go out to bat as we were going to bat second in the Super Over, the decision to send out batsmen was dependent on how much we were chasing and who the bowler is probably going to be,” Williamson told Ravichandran Ashwin on the spinner`s YouTube show titled ‘DRS with Ash’.

It was about giving yourself the best possible opportunity: Kane Williamson

It was a tough decision for the captain nevertheless. Guptill, who was the highest run-getter at the previous edition wasn’t in best of forms. Still, backing him up took a lot of guts for the New Zealand captain.

“It was about giving yourself with the best possible opportunity, Neesham was hitting the ball very well throughout the World Cup and we all know how capable Guptill really is of hitting the ball out of the park, there was a short boundary on one side of the ground. They are both quicks between the 22 yards so this helped too,” Williamson recalled.

The Kiwi skipper also revealed that he was the next man in due to go in for a bat if a wicket was lost. However, that wasn’t required as Guptill was run out on the last ball of the super over, handing over England the World Cup for the first time.

“I was padded up to come in at three, it was a different experience to be a part of, both Neesham and Guptill did a good job, Jofra Archer is a remarkable bowler, emotions were so high after the final, it was a long tournament when the time comes and it finishes, it`s like of a draining feeling as all of it finishes. The guys were filled with emotion after what really transpired,” Williamson said.

Here’s the video: