Kane Williamson of New Zealand checks Rashid Khan of Afghanistan after he was struck on the head and dismissed. Photo / Getty

Superb sportsmanship: Black Caps applauded for touching moments

News
Sport

Author: NZ Herald ,
Publish Date: Mon, 10 Jun 2019, 10:07AM

The Black Caps are leading the way on the Cricket World Cup table, and they're also setting a high bar for their sportsmanship.

The team were twice lauded for their excellent sportsmanship in their seven-wicket win over Afghanistan yesterday, with captain Kane Williamson setting the standard.

Williamson went out of his way to check in on Afghanistan's Rashid Khan after he was struck by a Lockie Ferguson short ball in the first innings.

The ball hit Rashid on the grill of his helmet, before bouncing onto the stumps, and the star spinner was clearly feeling the effects as he walked off.

Williamson - his captain and longtime teammate in the Indian Premier League at Sunrisers Hyderabad - came across to put his arm around Rashid to make sure he was alright, while other Black Caps including Ferguson also checked in on his status.

Kane Williamson of New Zealand checks Rashid Khan of Afghanistan after he was struck on the head and dismissed. Photo / Getty

Williamson was praised for his kind actions.

I swear I have not see nicer people than the Kiwis. In a second, Williamson ran over to check out Rashid Khan and no celebration occurred for the wicket. Unfortunately I it looks like he got a concussion. #CWC19
— Rikken Patel (@PatelRikken) June 8, 2019

It's not just the @SunRisers connection... #KaneWilliamson & @rashidkhan_19 after the latter got hit in the #NZvsAFG match... This is THE way #KaneWilliamson plays his cricket, always the gentleman... Like franchise mentor @VVSLaxman281
... #CWC19 , #BlackCaps , #AfghanAtalan pic.twitter.com/jXpNOvnG2d
— Lokendra Pratap Sahi (@lpsahi) June 8, 2019

Kane Williamson was quick enough to check if Rashid Khan is fine. #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/xM6yg7ZRwR
— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) June 8, 2019

Rashid didn't bowl after undergoing two concussion tests, but is expected to be fine for Afghanistan's next game.

Mitchell Santner also came in for applause for his actions during the game, helping an Afghanistan batsman tie his shoe.

🇦🇫 🇳🇿 #SpiritOfCricket 👏👏 #CWC19 | #AFGvNZ pic.twitter.com/w3Hmm8IodM
— ICC (@ICC) June 8, 2019

While both players would surely insist that their opposition would do the same for them, the Black Caps are seen as "the nice guys" of world cricket, and after today, it's easy to see why.