New Zealand had an incredible journey in the ICC World Cup 2023 which came to an end in the first semi-final where India defeated them in Mumbai. New Zealand had done well to make it into the semis despite losing four straight matches in the midst of the league stage.
However, New Zealand came across a rampaging Team India in the semis at the Wankhede Stadium who put on 397/4 after choosing to bat first. Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer made centuries, Shubman Gill made 80*, and Rohit Sharma plundered 47.
In response, despite Daryl Mitchell’s 134 and Kane Williamson’s 69, New Zealand only managed 327 runs as Mohammad Shami picked his ODI career-best 7/57. India will now face Australia in the final of the ICC World Cup 2023.
During the match, several New Zealand players assisted Virat Kohli during his world record-breaking 50th ODI ton. Kohli was offered drinks by Kiwis and he was helped when he suffered cramps and required some stretching on the field.
This display of sportsmanship didn’t sit well with former Australia all-rounder Simon O’Donnell, who chided New Zealand for doing so.
“I had a problem a couple of times last night. Virat Kohli gets cramp, they’re heading for 400 and blokes go over and help him. Why would you go and help Virat Kohli when he had a cramp? When they’re heading for 400. In a World Cup semi-final. The Spirit of the game is playing within the laws. Virat Kohli is tearing your country apart and you want to go over and give him a hand,” O’Donnell said on SEN on Thursday.
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“Under no circumstances should you have gone within 20 meters of Virat Kohli when he had a cramp. He threw his bat away and one of the Kiwis went and picked it up. ‘Go and pick your own bat up while you’ve got a sore hamstring and a cramp. Stop hitting us for sixes and fours’.
That’s not a big deal. That’s not outside the spirit of the game. It’s being competitive and saying, ‘OK, he’s being physically challenged, why are we assisting him to stay physically OK to belt the cr*p out of us?’ I don’t get it, I just don’t get it. Stuff helping him out, he’s made 50 one-day hundreds, so why help him make the 50th against you in a World Cup semi-final? Give me a spell,” he added.
However, this criticism by O’Donnell didn’t sit well with Daryl Mitchell, who responded by defending the team's actions, stating that their approach is a source of pride for the Black Caps and New Zealanders.
Even Mitchell, who suffered cramps, got help from Indian fielders as Ishan Kishan was seen giving him a stretch.
"I think that's something we really pride ourselves on as Black Caps and as New Zealanders. We want to play cricket in a way that suits us as a country and how we want to see our kids grow up and play the game themselves," Mitchell told reporters.
"We'll keep playing cricket the way we do as Kiwis, and hopefully the rest of the world can respect us and how we go about our day-to-day life, not only on the field but off it as well. It's something that we're really proud of, so we'll just keep being Black Caps and doing what we're doing,” he added.
New Zealand will now play in the two-Test series in Bangladesh starting on November 28.
(Times of India inputs)
