New Zealand pacer Tim Southee said that the Black Caps "do not have many superstars" in their coaching staff, but they have "great camaraderie and team environment" in the side.
His words came after New Zealand had a bumper year in 2021 as they became the first-ever Test Champions by beating India in the final of the World Test Championship in Southampton in June.
Southee told ANI query during a virtual press conference: “Yeah, I guess we do not have superstars in terms of X-players in the coaching staff but we have a great team environment. Not only the players, the support staff also buys into that. We respect everyone, we try to have a lot of fun and everyone works hard. Guys buy into what the team is about and what we all are trying to achieve.”
Meanwhile, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson said that he does not look much into his team's being constantly viewed as the underdogs in big ICC tournaments.
The Kiwis have reached the semi-finals of almost all ICC tournaments in recent years, most recently losing the T20 World Cup 2021 final to Australia in Dubai, UAE.
Williamson said, “I am yet to hear the favorites tag but yeah for us, it is always about focusing on the bigger picture as a side and trying to put our energy into taking one step ahead. There is a lot of planning that goes on. But you go to tournaments and every team is strong.”
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He further added, “If you look at the last T20 World Cup, anybody can beat anybody. There are no promises in those situations; it is about going out there and being prepared to the best of your ability to give yourself the best chance of winning. There is number of challenges along the way, as a side, it is about sticking together and keep moving forward.”
On being asked whether he would like to have a documentary on Black Caps, Williamson said that his side hasn’t yet done anything to have a documentary on them.
He signed off by saying, “We are yet to have the opportunity present itself to us (documentary on Black Caps). It is about making sure that we are authentic to the team environment we have.”
New Zealand's upcoming home series against Bangladesh will be available on Amazon Prime Video to be streamed live.
(With ANI Inputs)
