Kane Williamson hails sidelined seamers Tim Southee and Trent Boult

Omnisports

March 25, 2016 1:54 AM

Tim Southee and Trent Boult have yet to play at the World T20, but Kane Williamson says they have contributed to New Zealand's success.

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Kane Williamson paid tribute to two players who have yet to appear at the World Twenty20, Trent Boult and Tim Southee, after New Zealand completed a perfect Super 10 phase by thrashing Bangladesh.

The Black Caps' new-ball bowlers in Tests were again left on the sidelines for Saturday's match in Kolkata, which New Zealand won by 75 runs after dismissing their opponents for a paltry 70.

Ish Sodhi picked up three wickets and fellow spinners Mitchell Santner and Nathan McCullum proved economical as the theme of slow bowlers prospering for New Zealand continued.

Asked at the post-match presentation whether Southee and Boult were likely to feature in the remainder of the tournament, skipper Williamson said: "They're world-class bowlers. Some of the wickets we've been on have been certainly conducive to the slower bowlers and they [Boult and Southee] have been brilliant on the sidelines, giving a lot.

"That's a big part of this team, constantly giving whether you're playing or not. We'll have to see what we come up against in Delhi [in Wednesday's first semi-final] and pick horses for courses again."

Prior to Bangladesh folding with the bat, New Zealand – who were already assured of a place in the last four – had posted 145-8 on the back of useful contributions from Williamson, Colin Munro and Ross Taylor, who made 42, 35 and 28 respectively.

"I think it was a good effort from our boys in the first innings with the bat, to get partnerships together and get a total that we thought was very good on that wicket. And then the bowling was very clinical again," Williamson added.

"We're going to look to keep improving as a team and see how far we can get.

"We've done a lot of travel, but the boys have been great – they've bought in [to it] and embraced the schedule and the change in surfaces.

"Coming in to the pool play we knew every game was going to be tough, given the conditions and the opponents we were up against. It was no different today – we certainly expected a tough game against Bangladesh and we knew it was going to be a scrap and it was."

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