New Zealand were bullied in T20 WC final, would have asked for a refund if I was a supporter: Gautam Gambhir

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has slammed Kane Williamson-led New Zealand for their poor show in the final of the T20 World Cup 2021. Gambhir said the Kiwis were bullied by Australia in the summit clash at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai on Sunday. New Zealand lost the final by eight wickets as Australia were crowned champions of the T20 World Cup 2021.

After losing the toss, New Zealand were asked to bat first in the final by Australia and got off to a stuttering start. However, captain Kane Williamson produced a stellar knock of 85 runs to help them post a challenging total of 172 runs on the board in 20 overs. Williamson's 48-ball 85 was laced with ten fours and three sixes.

New Zealand were expected to give a tough time to Australia in the run-chase but the Kiwi bowlers were taken to the cleaners by the Aussie duo of David Warner and Micthell Marsh. Warner scored 53 off 38 balls while Marsh remained unbeaten on 77 off 50 balls to help Australia dominate the run-chase and get over the line with seven balls to spare.

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Disappointed by New Zealand's poor show, Gambhir said their performance was not worthy of a final.“My favourite side after India (for the T20 World Cup) was New Zealand. Seeing them bullied around like an apprentice wasn’t a pleasant experience,” Gambhir wrote in his column for Times of India.

“They batted very well to score 172 for four. More often than not this kind of score isn’t that tough to defend, especially with a balanced attack like that of New Zealand. But clearly, the occasion got to them as they didn’t look the same team that beat India or England in the semis.” he added.

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Gambhir went on to state that he would have asked for a refund of his ticket had he been a New Zealand supporter, who attended the final in Dubai on Sunday.

“New Zealand is one team that prides itself on meticulous planning, clear role definitions, precise execution and all this without any fanfare…If I was a New Zealand supporter, I would have demanded a refund seeing my team all over the place in second half. It wasn’t a performance worthy of a final,” said the 2011 World Cup winner.

New Zealand completed a hat-trick of finals in major ICC events by entering the summit clash of the 2021 T20 World Cup but ended up on the losing side once again having lost the 2019 ODI World Cup final against England at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground.

Australia brought an end to their six-year-long wait for a major ICC trophy as they lifted their maiden T20 World Cup title.