4 November - Bengaluru - New Zealand Captain Kane Williamson post-match press conference
[Reporter:]
It's not often you score 400 in an ODI game and still end up on the losing side. Your thoughts on the events of the day today?
[Kane Williamson:]
Yeah, that's true. Yeah, I mean, the first half was, I thought, a great effort. A lot of really good partnerships. Guys understood that the surface was good, perhaps better than it appeared, and we were able to get a really competitive total - so we thought.
And look, the guys in the second half tried hard. It was tough, the weather perhaps didn't help, but we can't take anything away from the tasks that Pakistan had to try and achieve and they came out and played beautifully well. And obviously [Fakhar] Zaman, when he's going, not many grounds are big enough, but certainly this one wasn't. And he just hit it to all parts. So, you know, credit to the way Pakistan came out and achieved what they did today. And for us, it's taking the good bits and the lessons as well and moving on to our next challenge.
[Reporter:]
One quick question on your partnership with Rachin there today, it was quite evident that both of you were looking for the boundaries quite regularly, was that because at the back of your mind you were thinking this on this wicket you need a score in excess of a certain amount?
[Kane Williamson:]
Yeah, I mean you got the feeling that it was a decent surface, obviously, and so we were trying to basically grab some momentum and try and take it as far as we could. And then we got to a stage where it was really trying to up the ante with wickets in hand which we had. I thought guys came out and played beautifully to get us to that total.
A lot of positives there. Yeah, I mean it's been an incredible tournament. We've seen just, we've seen everything really. And we saw something special today from Pakistan.
[Reporter:]
From being in a position where you had your own destiny in your own hands, you now are dependent on some of the other results that are going to happen as well. How do you look at that and what's going to be the approach in the next game for you?
[Kane Williamson:]
Yeah, I mean, I think the approach will be very similar. We can't rely on other teams obviously as you get down to some small, small margins of whether it's run rate or your last match. You know, anything can happen really, but our focus is very much still on the cricket that we want to keep playing and adjusting to what's in front of us. And we've done that in really positive ways and also being challenged at certain times which you fully expect in these sorts of competitions. So, we can't control what other people are doing but we can really focus on our next game and preparing well for that.
[Reporter:]
New Zealand has become kind of Fakhar's favourite side to play against in recent times. So, like putting more some more light on how he performed against you guys, like what was so special about him that your plans probably didn't look like working against him today?
[Kane Williamson:]
Yeah, he swung seriously hard and he hit everything out of the middle of his bat and it went miles basically and he's a very aggressive, dynamic player and you mentioned he's been very successful against us on a number of occasions. Today was probably one of his finest efforts. We know how dangerous he is and we knew that that would be a big wicket because he certainly won't die wondering and yeah, he played a special knock that ultimately got them across the line tonight.
[Reporter:]
How much did that knock take out of you, in terms of your energy and the injuries that you've had to manage coming in and also during the tournament. So how much did the innings take out of you and how are you holding up body-wise looking ahead immediately to the next game in three, four days’ time?
[Kane Williamson:]
Yeah, I mean it's just nice to be back out there, to be honest. Like, obviously, playing the previous match and getting through that, with the focus being on my knee a little bit, and then to just break your thumb, which, yeah, a bit of a bummer, obviously. But, so just nice to be back out there with the team and playing. And yeah, I mean, to be honest, not really focusing on those things. It's just more about where we need to be as a team and what we need to try and do and the cricket that we need to play and a lot of good stuff.
A lot of teams are playing really, really well. And so, it's important that we keep focusing on our cricket and the challenge that we've got in a few days’ time against Sri Lanka.
[Reporter:]
Can you take me through what your team talk is going to look like later today? Because there were a lot of conversations about combinations and the weather and DLS and all of that. We saw Ish Sodhi come back in today and he got taken for a fair number of runs So what is the conversation to him going to look like? How are you going to just prep the guys up a little bit after this loss?
[Kane Williamson:]
Yeah, I mean everybody got taken for plenty of runs, it's one of those grounds in one of those days. But yeah, I mean, it'll be a short chat. There's a lot left in this tournament for us. And although it's a frustrating result for us after so much of it going so well today, the quicker we move on and focus on our next challenge, the better. Take the positives, learn a few lessons. It's our first match here in Bangalore and in the conditions that we're faced with here and try and get nice and clear on what we need to try and do moving forward.
So yeah, that's the thing I suppose with the World Cups this year, you play usually a different venue every few days and so best not to dwell too much and just move forward.
[Reporter:]
You picked two spinners today and you mentioned that the pitch may have looked a little different to how it played. So was it a case of picking for the conditions you thought you were going to get or was that a case also of like wanting a third seamer but not having someone who's 100% match fit to pick
[Kane Williamson:]
Yeah, I mean we obviously been challenged with injuries and things but we did see that surface and thought that the spin would be perhaps most threatening but like I mentioned, everybody went for plenty of runs and I think when that's the case in these sorts of games, it's more about moments or an over or two that can change the game quite quickly. And that was really difficult to come by. Both teams batted beautifully well and ultimately Pakistan just got their noses in front.
[Reporter:]
Was there a point during your innings when your idea of conditions just changed and you were like, no, we need to aim even higher?
[Kane Williamson:]
Higher than 400?
[Reporter:]
Higher than what you made initially.
[Kane Williamson:]
Yeah, I mean, look, it probably surprised us a little bit. I thought the openers did a fantastic job of assessing the conditions and played beautifully well to get us a platform. And then, we wanted to try and take those partnerships deeper. And then we did get a feel that the surface was a good one, and it certainly was. And we wanted to basically try and get ourselves into position with wickets in hand, which we were able to do, and get a good total on the board. I thought the partnerships throughout were outstanding and the clarity and how the guys operated was brilliant. I suppose we leave it here and then you don't take it to any other match, so take the positives from it. And like I say, learn some of those lessons, small margins in these sorts of games, I think. So yeah, look forward to the next one.
[Reporter:]
I know you're not the one to probably dwell on personal milestones and stuff, but missing out on a century, how do you process it?
[Kane Williamson:]
Yeah, look, I mean, I just try and play the role for the team as best I can. And we were certainly in a position where we wanted to accelerate, regardless of what you're on. You know, I think it's just about trying to do the job for the team. And we saw that from a number of guys and whether you pass a milestone or not, that's probably more for all you people in the room. But in terms of contribution to the team, that's certainly the most important thing.
