Michael Vaughan gave Kohli as an example for NZ skipper Kane Williamson to look up to to work on his declining strike rate. New Zealand led by Williamson are already out of the ICC mega tournament as they failed to qualify for the Super 8s stage.
Adding to his struggles in the T20 format since January 2021, Williamson also failed to score in the T20 World Cup. With a sab par 28 runs with the average of 14 and 88 strike rate in four games the right-hand batsman had a pretty disappointing campaign.
What Michael Vaughan Said
Vaughan spoke in a discussion with Cricbuzz on Williamson’s declining strike rate after their final match against PNG.
He commented,
“I don’t think he (Kane) is ever going to be a player that strikes at 200. But look at Virat Kohli in this year’s IPL, he went from Virat in previous years to suddenly Virat Kohli the modern 2024 player by going for it and being expansive, particularly against the spin, found a couple of lap slog shots which was tremendous to see. And maybe Kane needs to have a look at Virat and see if he can up his tempo by around 15%.”
“If he can get to 140-150 strike rate and be the glue for New Zealand or whatever franchise cricket team he plays for, he is an absolute in every team because you know he is going to be consistent and there or thereabouts scoring runs. He just needs to up that strike rate by just 15-20% and he’ll be scoring consistent runs. I think we’ve still got a bit of watching Kane Williamson in T20 cricket to do.”
Virat Kohli improved his strike rate significantly during the IPL 2024 from a strike rate of 131.97 to 154.
Williamson not scoring runs also affected the team in tormenting defeats.
Williamson has played a total of three matches in the last two IPLs and a mere six matches for the national side in the shortest format since 2023. Vaughan believes that Williamson would have to keep playing the format to gain confidence and form.
He added,
“I always look at Kane and feel he is the kind of batter that needs to be playing. He needs time in the middle and his rhythm comes and he starts to get that timing. Kane Williamson in the IPL where he is playing 2 or 3 games, don’t think it does anything for his batting”
Even with the recent failures Kane Williamson still has commendable records when it comes to the T20 format. In 93 matches he has a strike rate of 023.08 with an average of 33.44.
In spite of winning their last two group stage matches New Zealand couldn’t secure a spot in the Super 8s.
Also Read: ICC T20 World Cup 2024: Michael Vaughan Slams Pakistan Cricket’s Depth