Williamson celebrated his return to the World Cup with the victory against Bangladesh

His remarkable performance guided the 2019 runners-up to their third consecutive victory, as they comfortably defeated Bangladesh by eight wickets in Chennai on Friday.

In a strategic, move Williamson chose to field first after winning the toss.

New Zealand’s pursuit of a 246-run target was made possible by the brilliant displays of their pace bowlers, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult, and Matt Henry, who dismantled the Bangladeshi batting order.

In his first competitive game since suffering a knee ligament injury in March, Williamson showcased his class by scoring 78 runs. He partnered effectively with Devon Conway (45) and later held his ground alongside Daryl Mitchell (89, not out).

It was the Black Caps’ third straight win at the tournament and put them atop the points table with six points, following victories over England and the Netherlands.

New Zealand had a new opening pair with Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra starting together after the latter was picked ahead of Will Young. But Ravindra was out for just nine runs, caught behind off Mustafizur Rahman in the third over.