"ODI World Cup and Kane Williamson, a better love story than Twilight" - Fans react as New Zealand skipper hits 78 on comeback against Bangladesh

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson played a fluent knock of 78 (107) on his international comeback on Friday (October 13) in the 2023 World Cup match against Bangladesh in Chennai.

Williamson spent almost six months on the sidelines before this game after suffering an injury during the opening match of the Indian Premier League earlier this year. He batted in the two warm-up games ahead of the World Cup.

However, he missed the first two matches of the tournament against England and Netherlands.

Williamson finally returned to the playing XI and led the New Zealand side against Bangladesh. He won the toss and opted to bowl first in the contest. Bangladesh could only score 245/9 in 50 overs on a decent batting track.

He then anchored the chase well by building partnerships with Devon Conway (45) and Daryl Mitchell (89). New Zealand chased down the target in 42.5 overs and won the match comfortably. Unfortunately, the Kiwi skipper departed as retired hurt during the fag end of the chase after being hit on the left hand.

Despite the injury scare, fans were delighted after witnessing Williamson back in action after a lengthy period on the sidelines. They heaped praise on him for playing a sensible match-winning knock in his comeback match.

Here are some of the top reactions on X ( formerly Twitter):

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"This was a great team performance"- New Zealand captain Kane Williamson after the win against Bangladesh

After the conclusion of the match, Kane Williamson reflected on the victory and said:

"It was nice to build the partnerships and take the game deep. Midway through the powerplay (when we were bowling), we realised that we had to hit the deck hard. The seamers had a chat amongst themselves and decided to carry on with that.

He continued:

"The spinners too decided to add a bit of pace. The seam bowlers were really effective today, and I am extremely happy for Lockie (Ferguson), who runs in hard every time. It was nice to build partnerships and scrape through the tough periods. This was a great team performance. Daryl Mitchell is a competitor and he continues to do well. He is a 'team-first' guy."

On his finger injury, Williamson said:

"I don't know a lot at the moment about the hit. I have a scan tomorrow and I am hoping that it turns out to be okay."