New Zealand's cricketers celebrated their memorable title win by defeating India in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final before heading back home on Thursday. The WTC final continued till the reserve day (June 23) after rain played spoilsport and washed out Day 1 and Day 4 of the match.
The Kiwi cricketers are going to continue the celebration of the historic win in the inaugural WTC at their home after completing mandatory quarantine. New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson said the boys had a great night after their two years of hard work paid off.
“We had a great night. The guys were obviously pretty chuffed after a fantastic game of cricket … you combine such a special moment after two years of hard work … it was fitting to push the boat out a little bit,” captain Kane Williamson was quoted as saying by ‘stuff.co.nz’.
Asked about his health the morning after the celebratory night, he replied, “My version of that might not be the same as some others, I feel OK.”
On asked how long the celebration went on, Williamson said, "I don’t think I was the last man standing, so I’m maybe not the person to ask".
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The New Zealand pacer Trent Boult said his teammate Neil Wagner hasn't let the mace got out of his sight. The players have even given the mace a nickname — Michael Mason, incidentally a former pacer who represented the country in just one Test in 2004.
“Waggy (Neil Wagner) probably hasn’t let the mace go since last night,” Boult said. "The boys are ecstatic. There’s been a mixture of emotion and jubilation. Once we get home and through quarantine, we’ll hopefully continue the celebrations.”
Tim Southee had the mace when New Zealand cricketers boarded the plane to fly back home. He talked about the emotions of the players, and said, “Last night was brilliant. To get the job done after it went down to the wire on day six was very special. There was some emotion for the boys in the camp. There was a fair bit of frustration with the (bad) weather around."
“It’s been hard to gauge the reaction from back home because we’re so far away, but I’m sure there is a lot of emotion and a lot of pride.
“The messages have been flying through. We can’t wait to get home and celebrate with everyone.”
The Kiwi skipper Williamson and Devon Conway will be staying in the United Kingdom for The Hundred, which is starting on July 21. Kyle Jamieson and Colin de Grandhomme will also remain in England to play the Twenty20 Blast.
(With PTI Inputs)
