Whether it was a high or low takes a bit of time: Kane Williamson on WC final
Wellington, May 21: New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said that he is still trying to work out if the 2019 World Cup final was a high or a low for the team. Williamson came agonisingly close to becoming the first New Zealand captain to win a World Cup with the final against England tied twice in normal play and the Super Over.
England took the trophy based on their superior boundary count. The rule was criticised to the point that the International Cricket Council (ICC) eventually scrapped it.
"To determine whether it was a high or a low takes a bit of time. And I'm still trying to work out what it was really," he said while talking to commentator Harsha Bhogle on Cricbuzz In Conversation.
"We didn't get the fruits but upon reflection, it was a pretty spectacular game to be a part of but a really difficult game to understand and get around because you were a part of the game."
New Zealand batted first and were restricted to 241/8. However, England's strong batting line-up faltered in the chase of the relatively low total and it was Ben Stokes who bailed them out at the back end of the innings. The match finished in a tie and in the Super Over, England scored 15 runs for the loss of no wickets. New Zealand matched the score at the cost of one wicket off the final ball, which meant that England took the trophy.
"Like any game, there are things on the outside that you can't control, when there were so many things that were out of your control, pivotal things that were so late in the match. It meant that you were trying to make sense and it was very difficult to do that," Williamson said.
"And the [boundary count] controversy that surrounded it after that… But at the end of it, you sort of think what you're here to do in the game, and that's perhaps to take the game to better places while you have the opportunity to play. Despite being on the wrong side of the result you still think you played your part and were perhaps able to do that. It was an amazing experience, an incredibly exciting journey if you look at the bigger picture instead of the last couple of minutes. But a real shocker of a game," he added.