New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has said that having the Reserve Day for the World Test Championship (WTC) final was a good initiative as there is always inclement weather around in the UK.
Williamson's comments came as New Zealand defeated India by eight wickets in the finals of the World Test Championship (WTC) on Wednesday here at the AgeasBowl. Williamson and Ross Taylor played unbeaten knocks off 52 and 47 respectively as New Zealand defeated India by eight wickets to clinch the inaugural edition of the WTC.
"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," said Williamson while replying to anquery during a virtual press conference.
"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.
A complete effort on the Reserve Day saw New Zealand edging India in a final which had its ebbs and flows in the first innings. The Kiwis made full use of the slender 32-run lead and the Williamson-led side bundled out India cheaply in the second innings to get a target of just 139. The batsmen did not relent and in the end, the side walked away with a comfortable victory.
"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 added.
Talking about his 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 added.
Earlier, Tim Southee scalped four wickets as India was bundled out for 170 in the second innings on the Reserve Day. The inspired show with the ball ensured that New Zealand would need to score 139 runs in a minimum of 53 overs to win the title.
"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 added.
( With inputs from ANI )
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