T20 World Cup 2022: "I definitely want to keep touching on those third and fourth gears" - Kane Williamson on criticism about his strike rate

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson remains determined to increase his strike rate amid criticism about the same following the clash against England. However, the right-handed batter defended his knock, stating that the situation demanded it.

Williamson's run-a-ball 40 against England on Tuesday in pursuit of 180 attracted a lot of criticism after the Kiwis fell short by 20 runs. Although he helped New Zealand add 91 with Glenn Phillips, former cricketers criticized his knock for putting pressure on the remaining batters.

Speaking ahead of New Zealand's final group game on Friday, Williamson admitted that he lacked the rhythm to switch gears naturally. However, the 32-year-old wants to regain it.

As quoted by ESPN Cricinfo, he said:

"With the bat, there's a number of phases or gears to go through. I definitely want to keep touching on those third and fourth gears where you are exploring some different areas of the ground, which when in full rhythm is something that comes reasonably naturally."

He further added:

"When you're not, you're working very hard to try and bring that into your game whilst factoring in your role in a partnership and trying to help position your team in a place where perhaps you have momentum and you're ready to start the next phase as a team."

The right-handed batter also struggled for fluency against Australia. He scored 23 in as many deliveries, followed by eight off 13 balls against Sri Lanka.

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"Context is really important, so it does depend on conditions" - Kane Williamson

Kane Williamson in action against England. (Credits: Getty)

The New Zealand captain emphasized the value of partnerships at certain junctures in a game, saying:

"Context is really important, so it does depend on conditions. Partnerships as well, and really where you want your team to be at certain points in time, and if that is run-a-ball, then that's of value if the team is moving forward with that."

Williamson added:

"In the other night and the other game there were partnerships that were of value, and it's just trying to take that little step further really, and so for me that's a focus for continuing to develop my game after being out for a little while is to keep just pushing it, looking for those other options and just making those small tweaks."

A win for the Kiwis over Ireland will ensure them a semi-final spot; however, a loss will make things tricky for them.