Explained: Why Kane Williamson left the field without getting out in NZ vs BAN match

Kane Williamson scored 78 off 107 balls in his 158 minutes stay at the wicket.

Blackcaps skipper Kane Williamson marked a magnificent return onto the field after almost a 7-month gap. Kane Williamson played a determined knock to give New Zealand their third back-to-back win in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. After sitting on the bench for the first two games against England and Netherlands, Kane Williamson waited for the right moment for his comeback. He played a match-winning knock against Bangladesh in Chennai on his return to international cricket. 

Why Kane Williamson walked off without getting out against Bangladesh?

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson scored 78 runs and remained unbeaten in the game. Williamson played a magnificent innings against Bangladesh to help his team chase down Bangladesh’s 246-run target. Captain Kane scored 78 runs in 107 balls. He smashed 8 fours and a six during his gritty knock. As New Zealand were closing down to the total and they touched the 200-run mark, Kane Williamson walked back to the dressing room declaring himself as retired hurt. 

The right-hand batter was struck by a throw on his hand during the 36th over of the innings. Williamson was hit on his thumb and was in a little discomfort before deciding to move out of the game. His thumb injury doesn’t look serious but as a precaution, Williamson decided to move away from the crease and let Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips (16) finish the game. Due to the extreme heat in Chennai, Williamson also looked a bit exhausted. 

After the match, Kane Williamson further explained about the thumb injury he suffered in the match and said, "Just got a bit fat and colourful (thumb swollen and bruised) straight away so got to take a scan tomorrow, but hopefully it's okay." Williamson’s flawless batting gave a big confidence boost to the New Zealand camp. 

New Zealand have defeated Bangladesh by 8 wickets in a challenging run-chase at Chepauk in Chennai. Along with Kane Williamson, all-rounder Daryl Mitchell (89*) played a marvelous counter-attacking knock to help NZ chase the target inside the 43rd over. Mitchell scored an unbeaten 89 runs in 67 balls with 6 fours and 4 sixes in his innings. Pacer Lockie Ferguson was awarded Player of the Match for his 3/49 spell.