T20 World Cup 2022: "You are not helping the team" - Aakash Chopra criticizes Kane Williamson's slow knock vs England

Aakash Chopra has criticized Kane Williamson for playing a painstaking knock that proved counterproductive in New Zealand's T20 World Cup 2022 clash against England.

Jos Buttler & Co. set the Black Caps a 180-run target after opting to bat first in a Group 1 Super 12 game in Brisbane on Tuesday, November 1. Williamson scored a run-a-ball 40 in the chase as the Kiwis were restricted to 159/6 to lose the match by 20 runs.

While reviewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra pointed out that the New Zealand skipper's knock set his team back in the run chase. He elaborated:

"In New Zealand's run chase, Devon Conway was brilliantly caught behind the wickets and Finn Allen got dismissed. Kane Williamson - 40 runs off 40 balls, not good enough. We feel the job will be done but it does not happen. You need nine runs per over, there if you are scoring run a ball, you are not helping the team."

Chopra added that the Kiwis would have lost by a bigger margin if not for Glenn Phillips' blazing knock. The former India batter observed:

"Kane Williamson has scored just one half-century in 2022 and the strike rate is extremely low. It was Glenn Phillips who kept the match alive, although Moeen Ali dropped an extremely easy catch of him."

Phillips smashed 62 runs off just 36 balls, a knock studded with four fours and three sixes. He was the dominant partner in his 91-run third-wicket partnership with Williamson.

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"New Zealand's problems once again came to the forefront" - Aakash Chopra

Daryl Mitchell was caught at long-on while trying to hit a maximum.

Chopra highlighted that New Zealand's lower-middle-order concerns were evident in Tuesday's game. He explained:

"New Zealand's problems once again came to the forefront. There is nothing special in the middle order, the cream is at the top. When Glenn Phillips got out, you came to know. Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner - it's a slightly soft underbelly, that got exposed."

While observing that the Black Caps are in prime position to qualify for the semi-finals despite the loss, Chopra pointed out that a no-result against Ireland could knock them out of the tournament. The renowned commentator said:

"As of now, they are sitting pretty at the top. They had a net run rate of 4.5 after the first match, then it became 3.5 and now it is 2.25. It can go further down but they will never go below Australia. Only one problem can happen with them, that the New Zealand-Ireland match gets rained off, and England and Australia's matches happen."

New Zealand are currently perched atop the Group 1 points table with five points to their credit, ahead of England and Australia based on net run rate. A win against Ireland in their last group-stage fixture should guarantee them a spot in the semi-finals unless England and Australia pull off massive wins against Sri Lanka and Afghanistan respectively.