Kane Williamson doesn't anger easily, but if anything is ever going to rile up the calm and collected Black Caps captain, it surely will come with the mention of that dreaded, dastardly concept - the Super Over.
Williamson produced the greatest knock of his Twenty20 career to keep the Black Caps alive in their series against India, and when that wasn't enough, and a Super Over was required, he did it all over again.
And then, when even that absurdly wasn't enough, he offered up a wry smile, a handshake, and probably looked skywards and wondered what he had done to deserve this feeling once more.
Williamson's stellar 95 from 48 balls had brought the Black Caps back from near-certain defeat at Hamilton's Seddon Park, only for a shambolic finish to unfold; the hosts butchering the final over, and the match going into the most despised of all the tiebreakers.
First the World Cup final, then the England Twenty20 decider, and now, a third Super Over in six months. This time, Williamson and Martin Guptill produced what should have been a winning total, hitting 17 from Jasprit Bumrah's Super Over, only for Rohit Sharma – needing 10 from two balls - to smack Tim Southee for back-to-back sixes to send another dagger into New Zealand hearts.
Rohit Sharma celebrates the winning runs. Photo / Photosport
It was remarkably cruel, and never should have reached that point after Williamson had produced an absolute masterclass.
To unfurl the usual Twenty20 batting descriptors – smacked, bashed, smoked, etc – would be doing a disservice to Williamson's innings. Sure, there may have been the odd hoik, or a reluctant heave-ho, but this was strokemaking of the highest calibre – picking his spots, and giving the Indian bowlers simply no say in the matter. Williamson's message was clear – the ball was going to the boundary, exactly where it was intended, and you, the poor, overmatched bowler, should get used to it.
Incorporating the Super Over, there were 16 in total – nine fours and seven sixes – seemingly each more controlled than the last, and done on a pitch where many of his teammates looked at sea against some of the world's best proponents of Twenty20 bowling.
Guptill comes away with credit – providing another solid platform with 31 from 20 balls – but Colin Munro continues to look outmatched, cramped by a savvy bowling plan that has successfully denied him room, and success, this series. His painful 14 from 16 balls ended with a wild swing and a miss, and a resulting stumping, to Ravindra Jadeja, and Jadeja had his fun with other Black Caps batsmen as well.
Mitchell Santner, promoted to bat at four for matchup reasons, made a dreary nine from 11, while Colin de Grandhomme – replaced by Tom Bruce for the final two matches - won't be missed, making an abysmal five from 12, and fortunate on multiple occasions to get away with his trademark lazy running.
The template for how to bat had earlier been set by Sharma, who took 27 from an over from Hamish Bennett, as part of 65 from 40 balls. At 77-0 after seven overs, India had set a stellar platform, but the Black Caps – aided by a wicket that saw slower balls grip and prove trickier to get away – did manage to peg the visitors back slightly.
Indicating that he felt the wicket had slowed, Virat Kohli's 38 off 27 was a measured approach to setting a difficult target, and while Ish Sodhi made things difficult with four overs for just 23 runs, Southee saw his final over go for 18 as India reached 179-5.
It looked a tricky total, and a winning one when Williamson surveyed the scene with seven overs left. 80 runs were needed, Jadeja looked unplayable, and the best death bowler in the world, Bumrah, had two overs left.
Kane Williamson struck a stunning 95. Photo / Getty
However, the Black Caps had someone special to draw on as well. Jadeja went for two sixes, Bumrah was carved for three fours, and with India having a horrendous day in the field, several singles were turned into quick-thinking twos as the equation rapidly reduced – from 52 from 30, to 29 from 18, then 20 from 12. Not even Bumrah could stop the flow, and when suddenly just two runs were required from four balls, the game looked in the bag.
It couldn't be that simple though. It never is with the Black Caps.
Williamson's initial attempt to be the hero saw him caught behind off Mohammed Shami, but it seemed sure to be the slightest of setbacks in a match-winning knock. However, Tim Seifert couldn't connect with the next two deliveries, scampering a bye off the second to leave Ross Taylor needing one to win from the final ball.
An inside edge onto the stumps was all he could muster, and lo and behold, it was time for another ludicrous Super Over.
