New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson on Wednesday (June 23) praised ICC’s decision for having a reserve day in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
Williamson’s comment came after his side defeated India by 8 wickets to clinch the inaugural WTC title at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.
WATCH - New Zealand's ecstatic dressing room after Ross Taylor hits the winning runs
"Yeah, I mean, well, first of all, a fantastic feeling. 2019 was a great occasion and a brilliant game of cricket, as well. But obviously a slightly different feeling being on the right side of the result for us, and also a part of a great game of cricket and a great occasion where it was the first, I suppose, official World Test Championship, and this is a really good feeling," Williamson said during a virtual press conference, as quoted by ANI.
"I suppose having the backup day schedule in was a good initiative, and there's always a chance of weather in this country, and we certainly saw plenty of it, but also we saw a surface that offered throughout the whole game and brought all bowlers into it whenever they had the ball in their hands. I think both teams knew that because of that coming into the last day there was three possible results, and that was win, lose and draw, and we saw that things can happen quickly. Everybody has seen that when you play in this part of the world. Fortunate for us they managed to early on in the day, and it gave us a real opportunity," he added.
The WTC final was severely affected by inclement weather and the match officials had to use the backup day to make up for the lost time.
India were 64 for 2 at the close of play on Day 5 but the Kiwi pacers decimated their batting line-up on the reserve sixth day, bowling them out for a paltry 170 in the second innings.
Chasing 139 to win, New Zealand rode on Williamson’s 52 not out and Ross Taylor’s unbeaten 47 to overhaul the target with 7.1 overs left in the day.
"Well, obviously it's the pinnacle, isn't it, really, being involved in the final. Like I said, a formidable side in that of India. They certainly showed their quality, and for us it was a lot of heart that allowed us to stay in the game for long periods," said Williamson.
"I think we saw both teams grab momentum at certain points in time, and then to have the sixth day as backup due to weather and see both teams have a real opportunity of a result made for a fantastic game to be a part of. For us a very proud moment in our history and a proud moment just as a team really, to stick to what we do well and come away with the win, which is a really great feeling," he further remarked.
Reflecting on his unbeaten 96-run partnership with Ross Taylor in the second innings, Williamson said: "You know, fantastic to be a part of a contribution and a partnership like that, and obviously with Ross, our most experienced player and leader in the group, as well, it was nice that we were able to soak up some of the pressure and then sort of score a few together, although it was really difficult to come by. But having an experienced hitter like Ross out there was certainly helpful."
"You know, a really special feeling to be there at the end together and tick those runs off, even though it was 130 odd on that surface. You never felt comfortable. It was nice to soak up, yeah, like I say, some of that pressure and put together a partnership," he continued.
Earlier in the day, Tim Southee (4-48), Trent Boult (3-39), Kyle Jamieson (2-30) and Neil Wagner (1-44) did a brilliant job with the ball to lead the foundation of New Zealand’s victory.
"Yeah, I mean, I suppose the exciting part to finals is that anything can happen. We know how fickle cricket is and we've seen it in other competitions, in other World Cups and in all other bits and pieces. The one-off factor does bring a unique dynamic, which does make it exciting and all these sorts of things, and on any given day anything can happen. We've been on all different sides of that statement," said Williamson.
"I suppose there are arguments for both sides, and I guess the challenge would be scheduling and that series amongst a lot of cricket that's already on, but no doubt the more cricket that you have perhaps within a series, the more you do find out and the more it does reveal itself, but in the same way it was a really exciting match. The first time that there's been this competition on and both teams were fully geared for the game, and it was a brilliant game of cricket," he concluded.
(With ANI inputs)
