T20 WC: New Zealand have pleasing outing ahead of strong challenge, says Williamson

Abu Dhabi [UAE], November 7 : New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said the Black Caps had really pleasing outing on Sunday as the team defeated Afghanistan by eight-wicket ahead of the "strong challenge" in the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
New Zealand sealed their place in the T20 World Cup semi-finals in style courtesy of a comfortable win over Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi.
Kane Williamson and Devon Conway's unbroken 68-run third-wicket stand saw the Black Caps home with 11 balls to spare, securing their place as one of two Group 2 qualifiers alongside Pakistan and eliminating India in the process.
Kane Williamson in the post-match presentation said: "It was a strong performance. We know how dangerous this Afghanistan side is, they have got match-winners in all departments. It was nice to set the tone with the ball first up, take some early wickets which is always good and restricting them to a below-par score on a 150-155 surface."
"In the second innings, we knew there were big threats to navigate and we tried to suck things up and get as close as we could. We would have batted first today, it's not been the case in a number of the surfaces here. It's certainly been a challenge to adjust quickly playing at three different venues. That's the beauty of the game," he added.
"We know we have got another strong challenge coming up in a few days time but really pleasing outing today for the team. Great fielding effort as well, that was outstanding. With the day games, it's important to set the tone in the park and bring that energy and we saw that from everybody."
"They (England) are a very strong side, for us it's important we keep learning and focus on the sort of cricket we want to play. It's been an incredibly tough competition and we've seen a lot of tight games as well. We are looking forward to the occasion," he added.
Afghanistan had begun the match with slim qualifying hopes of their own but a poor start with the bat left them on the back foot on 19 for three.
Najibullah Zadran's sparkling 73 inspired a revival but Trent Boult was exceptional once more with the ball, taking three for 17 to limit Afghanistan to 124 for eight.
And though New Zealand lost both openers in reply, Williamson and Conway - who finished unbeaten on 40 and 36 respectively - combined to steer their side home with a minimum of fuss and set up a semi-final with either England or Australia.