A star name is necessary for non-India matches to pull the crowd during the ongoing World Cup. If it is one among the so-called contemporary ‘Fab Four’ of batters, then it sure helps fill up at least half the stadium.
One could see that on Friday when the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium’s 14,000-strong crowd threw its support behind only one person — Kane Williamson. It was his No. 22 jersey that was widely seen from among the crowd that got the money’s worth. The 33-year-old played his role as the team’s crisis man to perfection yet again with a superb 78 to help New Zealand chase down 246 against Bangladesh on Friday.
It was as if he picked off from his last international game seven months ago (215 vs Sri Lanka in a Test match) and not someone who had to undergo knee surgery in the intervening period.
