Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has expressed confidence in former teammate Steve Smith and New Zealand talisman Kane Williamson, backing them to have a significant impact in the upcoming two-match Test series between Australia and New Zealand.
Both Steve Smith and Kane Williamson are tied on 32 Test centuries each, but Michael Clarke believes neither player will be preoccupied with personal milestones. Instead, he expects both great batsmen to be completely focused on their roles ahead of the crucial series between the trans-Tasman rivals.
They both will have 33 or even 34 hundreds by the end of the series- Michael Clarke on Kane Williamson and Steve Smith
In an interaction with ESPN, Michael Clarke shared his thoughts on Steve Smith and Kane Williamson. He said,
They both will have 33 or even 34 hundreds by the end of the series. They don’t chase personal milestones but it shows their dominance.”
The former Aussie player added,
Smith’s got that extra pressure and expectations from within because it’s a new challenge for him in a position that he is batting. It’s a challenge that he wanted. That hunger will be burning within him to stand up and be the player he has been his entire career.”
Kane Williamson has been in outstanding form recently, scoring three centuries in just four innings against South Africa and playing a pivotal role in New Zealand’s 2-0 series win. Michael Clarke has expressed the belief that Williamson will need to lead the run-scoring charts if New Zealand is to have a chance against Australia.
He will just get out there and try to smack a few and will be happy- Aaron Finch on David Warner
David Warner has spoken about the challenging experiences he faced while playing T20 franchise cricket in New Zealand, highlighting the hostile environment created by the partisan home crowd. He anticipates facing a similar atmosphere when he plays in the upcoming T20I series in New Zealand.
Contrarily, David Warner’s former opening partner, Aaron Finch, holds the belief that Warner will remain unfazed by the crowd dynamics. Finch expressed this perspective during an interaction with ESPN,
He (Warner) doesn’t care (NZ crowd). He loves the attention on him. Whether the crowd are aggressive or personal, he has seen it all before. He will just get out there and try to smack a few and will be happy.”
The first T20I between New Zealand and Australia is scheduled for Wednesday, February 21, in Wellington. David Warner, having retired from the longer format of the game, will be eager to make an impact in the T20I series as he looks ahead to the 2024 T20 World Cup scheduled for June this year.
Also Read: https://goworldwide.co.in/aakash-chopra-slams-england-batting-in-3rd-test/