A sixth eye
On 20 November 2024, Japan hosted a gathering of senior enlisted members from the Five Eyes intelligence partnership in Tokyo.
“Your game was appreciated by all and you had a great World Cup,” were the words of former India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar for New Zealand’s iron-willed skipper Kane Williamson while handing the latter the Player of the Tournament trophy after the Black Caps lost a nail-biting final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
On 14 July, the Kiwis lost the final match to England on boundary count after both the 50 overs, as well as the Super Over, ended in ties.
Williamson scored 578 runs in the tournament — the most by a captain in a World Cup — and Tendulkar said it was the calm demeanour of the Kiwi skipper which was responsible for his success.
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“The best thing about Williamson is the ability to stay calm. He doesn’t lose his composure under any circumstance. It was unfortunate that he could not win the World Cup but it did not reflect on his face,” Tendulkar told 100Mb.
Duly impressed with Williamson captaincy, the former Indian skipper said that Williamson has a unique style to tackle adverse situations. “Williamson sees the game from an entirely different perspective. His field placements, bowling changes while defending a low score are commendable. Even when (Ravindra) Jadeja was playing big shots in the semi-final, he was calm and in the end, the result was in his favour.”
The 46-year-old also named Williamson the captain of his favourite XI of the 2019 World Cup, which includes five Indians.
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