3 reasons why New Zealand’s Kane Williamson might not be able to perform in Champions Trophy 2025

Kane Williamson is one of the best batters in the world. The star batter will be crucial for the success of New Zealand in the Champions Trophy 2025 which is set to start from the 19th of February. While his form has been a mixed bag, one would expect a batter of his class to step up in a bug tournament like the Champions Trophy. He had a decent outing in the tri-series against Pakistan and South Africa.

New Zealand has one of the best teams for the Champions Trophy. After a disappointing T20 World Cup in 2024, the Kiwis will be aiming to make a strong comeback in the ICC Tournament. It will be an important tournament for Williamson’s legacy. However, some aspects of his game and the nature of the tournament could play a role in him not having a great outing.

Factors that might force Kane Williamson to not have a good Champions Trophy 2025:

Nature of surfaces

New Zealand will play a couple of their matches in Pakistan and will face India in Dubai. If India qualify for the final, NZ might have to play two of their matches in Dubai. While the Pakistani surfaces could either be flat or slower, the surfaces in Dubai could be on the slower side as they usually are.

On slow surfaces, Williamson has not been good for a long time. In the tri-series against Pakistan and South Africa, his performance was either too good or too bad. While he did well when the ball came nicely onto the bat, Kane struggled on surfaces that were slow, which could be a concerning aspect.

Poor rotation of strike

Williamson isn’t at his best in ODIs for a long time. A major reason behind it is his lost ability to rotate the strike as well as he once used to. While he can still play the pacers well, Kane struggles to rotate the strike against spinners who operate inaccurate lengths. It could be a big concern for Kane and New Zealand.

Kane used to be good at finding gaps in the middle overs. Even when NZ did not have that good of a batting unit, Kane used to deliver. But in the current scenario, even when NZ has a good batting unit, Williamson has often struggled to bat as well as he used to in his prime. NZ would hope for him to improve his strike rotation.

Lower aggression than expected

Kane hasn’t been as aggressive as one would’ve liked for a long time. Since 2018, he has had an SR of just 77.33 after playing 48 innings. The standards for a batter in the middle overs phase have improved in the period. There has been an improvement in his strike rate in the last few years mostly due to good surfaces.

On slow surfaces, his lack of strike rotation ability combined with his lack of aggression could be problematic. While he could still score a lot of runs accounting for a good overall average, it’s the batting strike rate which is the most essential part of the modern-day game. Kane’s lack of aggression would be a concern in a tournament like the Champions Trophy.

Disclaimer: This Exclusive News is based on the author’s understanding, analysis, and instinct. As you review this information, consider the points mentioned and form your own conclusions.

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