THE PLUNDERER OF PALLEKELE

 

Image Credit—ESPN CricInfo.

Venue: Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy [March 8, 2011].

The Pakistani cricket team is infamous for its fielding antics. Generations have passed on, but their fielding woes have remained the same. Moreover, due to this sloppiness on the ground, they have lost matches on the biggest of stages. This blog post is about one such game wherein the men in green lost just because of their fielding.

In the year 2011, New Zealand was facing Pakistan in the group stage of the 2011 World Cup. Captain Daniel Vettori won the toss and decided to bat first on what looked like a good wicket to bat upon. However, the Kiwis lost Baz in the first over itself as Akhtar bowled him out in the fourth delivery of the innings. As a result New Zealand went on the back seat and adopted a cautious approach.

Despite this, the Pakistanis kept on chipping wickets at regular intervals and kept the run rate under control. At the end of 46 overs, the New Zealand scorecard read 210/6, with Ross Taylor batting on 76* of 111 deliveries, whereas Oram had just joined him in the middle. However, it is pertinent to note that Taylor was dropped twice in the very beginning of his innings. On both occasions it was Kamran Akmal who dropped the easiest catch he could have ever gotten. The first catch drop came at the very first ball wherein Taylor edged between the slips and the keeper, and the keeper let it go even without trying to catch it. The second time the ball came in his hands, but he again failed to catch it. To be honest the catch was so easy that even the commentator called it inexcusable.

The birthday boy got his gift, and he made sure that he would make it count. In the last 4 overs, the Kiwis smoked 92 runs as the Pakistanis looked helpless. However, the moment that will always be remembered is Ross Taylor hitting Akhtar 28 runs in an over. Something that was never heard before. To be honest, the attack was so brutal that he was not even called to bowl his final over. In his place, Abdul Razzaq was asked to bowl, who too conceded 30 runs in an over as the Kiwis crossed the 300-run mark.

Ross Taylor scored an unbeaten 131 off 124 deliveries as everyone was up on their feet. The innings were so destructive that the commentator called Taylor the plunderer of Pallekele. It was truly a great knock on the biggest of stages. In response, the men in green were bowled out for just 192 runs as the Kiwis won the game by 110 runs.

However, the same would not have been possible if that catch drop wouldn't have happened.

To watch the Highlights of the Match, Click Here.

THE BEST OF KANE WILLIAMSON

 Image Credit—ESPN CricInfo.

Venue: Hagley Oval, Christchurch [January 3-7, 2021]

In the summer of 2020-21, the Pakistan cricket team toured New Zealand to play 3 T20 internationals and 2 test matches. The test series was important like never before for the black caps, as their chances of making it into the WTC Finals rested upon it. After suffering a whitewash against Australia last year, every series became a matter of do or die for them. However, the Kiwis fought back hard as they whitewashed India and the West Indies and were all set to face Pakistanis in their home conditions. Though the Kiwis were the favorites, no one could rule out men in green.

Hence, everyone was expecting a tough contest between two strong sides. Interestingly, it turned out to be a one-sided affair. Credit for the same goes to the monumental innings of skipper Kane Williamson, who single-handedly blew away the visitors and sealed the fate of the match and the series.

In the first test at Bay Oval, Williamson scored a gritty 129 of 297 deliveries, which helped Kiwis take an edge over the visitors. However, the same got overshadowed by his massive 238-run knock in the second test at Christchurch, which ensured another whitewash on New Zealand soil.

In a must-win game, the Pakistanis posted a competitive 297 in their first innings. However, in response, the hosts were reeling at 71/3 when Henry Nicholls joined Williamson in the middle. The game was on a knife-edge. A couple of wickets at this stage would have opened the game wide-open. But this is when we witnessed one of the finest test partnerships of all time. The duo of Williamson and Nicholls struck a massive partnership of 369 runs and sealed the game for the hosts. Nicholls scored a brilliant 157, whereas Captain Kane scored a monumental 238 runs.

In an innings that lasted for nearly 9.5 hours, Kane Williamson faced a total of 364 deliveries in which he hammered 28 boundaries. Moreover, it was not just about power hitting, but the innings had class, elegance, timing, and perfection. In short, it was truly a work of art by one of the greatest Test batsmen of our times.

By the time Willaison was dismissed, it was almost certain that the match was well and truly over for the visitors. The question was how long will men in green survive? The answer turned out to be 81.4 overs as the Kiwis' pacers blew away the Pakistani batting line-up in no time. Kyle Jamieson picked up 6 wickets in the second innings and 11 in the match as the hosts won the second test by an innings and 176 runs.

The whitewash was well and truly complete, and they also made it into the Inaugural WTC Finals.

Postscript—Six months later Kiwis won the inaugural WTC Finals at Southampton. However, the same would not have been possible without the contribution of their captain and leader Kane Williamson, who led his team from the front and scored runs when it mattered most.

To watch the monumental innings of Kane Williamson, Click Here. 

END OF AN ERA

 

Image Credit—ESPN CricInfo.

In June 2026, Kane Williamson announced his retirement from international cricket. The news came as a shocker, as everyone was expecting him to go for the 10,000 runs milestone. But, just like the Indian counterpart, Williamson decided to hang his boots without caring about any personal feat. It is pertinent to note that Williamson was a part of the famous Fab 4 coined by the late Martin Crowe.

Moreover, like Smith, Root, and Kohli, Kane was the most charismatic batsman as well as leader of his side, leading his country to the finals of the 2019 Cricket World Cup and 2021 T20 World Cup. In the process he also scored valuable runs for his team. However, in case of Kane it was not always about runs, as his conduct on and off the pitch too grabbed attention and praise. 

Who can ever forget his smile from the 2019 final at Lord's? The Kiwis, in a hard-fought contest, lost by the barest of margins. However, despite the wrongs and controversies, Kane kept calm and just smiled when the world around him went upside down.

Interestingly, a couple of years later, he did get some consolation when he led his team to the maiden World Test Championship glory. It was a victory that every New Zealander will always remember. After all, no one expected their victory against the mighty Indians. However, Kane and his men did something unexpected on Day 6 at Southampton when they skittled India out for a small total and chased them off comfortably. Moreover, Kane was in the middle when the winning runs were hit, making the moment even more emotional. The gentleman did get his due.

Today Kane is a retired player. But his contribution to cricket will forever be cherished and cheered.