World Cup 2019: Top four knocks of the tournament

#3 Kane Williamson's gritty match-winning knock of 106* vs South Africa

Kane Williamson.

Kane Williamson practically played as an opener for New Zealand in the World Cup, since bar the first match against Sri Lanka, the Kiwi captain faced the new ball in 10 out of the 11 matches they played in the tournament.

Chasing a target of 242 on a tricky surface versus South Africa, New Zealand lost their first wicket very quickly after Rabada caught Munro off his own bowling in the 3rd over of the innings.

Williamson was back on the ground, earlier than he would have liked but the Kiwi captain isn't one of them who complain, he lets his bat do the talking. Williamson started rebuilding New Zealand's innings along with Martin Guptill and by the 15th over, set his team up in an advantageous position but a brain-fade saw Guptill losing his wicket rather uncharacteristically via a hit-wicket.

Before Williamson could map out the next course of action, New Zeland lost Ross Taylor and Tom Latham in a gap of three overs and from an advantageous position at 72/1, New Zealand were now staring down the barrel at 80/4. However, Williamson stood tall and along with Neesham, ran hard between the wickets while finding the odd boundary and stitched together a partnership of 57 runs.

A single on the on-side in the 28th over got Williamson his 2nd fifty of the tournament but the work was far from over. Neesham succumbed to the two-paced surface and gave a simple catch to Amla at slip, the equation of 105 required off 100 balls wasn't daunting even after Neesham's wicket but New Zealand had only one more recognized batsman left and hence all their hopes now rested on the shoulders of captain Kane.

Williamson, though, found an able partner in Colin de Grandhomme who played the aggressor in their partnership while he aptly played the role of a sheet anchor, ticking runs off the board without taking any risk. The partnership put together 91 runs for New Zealand and nearly played South Africa out of the game but De Grandhomme tried a shot too many and succumbed to Lungi Ngidi in the penultimate over of the match leaving Williamson with the task of scoring the final 14 runs in 11 balls.

Tension could be felt all around the stadium but Williamson was in a zone of his own, with his ice-cool demeanor and deft touch, the Kiwi captain beat the short third man off the final ball of the over to collect a boundary and bring the equation down to eight off six.

Andile Phehlukwayo was given the responsibility of bowling the last over, he served a slower one first up to Santner who pulled it to deep mid-wicket for a single. Williamson was on strike now and he had five balls to knock off the remaining seven runs, the pressure was on both sides and whoever blinked first was going to face the music. Unfortunately for South Africa, Phehlukwayo blinked first, he sent in a slower ball to Kane who after spending nearly 46 overs on the pitch picked the bones out of it and sent it packing over deep mid-wicket and into the stands to bring up a hard-fought century.

The equation after the first 2 balls of the final over stood at 1 required off 4, the South Africans morale had all but disappeared after that six and it was clearly summed up by the 3rd ball of the over. Phehlukwayo delivered a 3rd consecutive slower ball, way outside off-stump which Williamson caressed through point and short third-man for a boundary to clinch an important victory for his team.