"We've moved on from 2019 upset" | Kane Williamson press conference ahead of ENG vs NZ - Semi-final
Published at : November 11, 2021
Q. Reflection from yourself on the team's performance through the pole play and a look ahead for the semifinal for us, please.
KANE WILLIAMSON: I think every team coming into the tournament knew that it would be highly competitive. And it's certainly proved to be the case and both poles were very strong. And for us the focus was to try and grow and improve just a little bit from game to game.
And I think largely we've been able to do that reasonably well and adapt to a variety of conditions that we've been faced with and the focus was for us is the same and it was great to qualify and to be here at the moment.
But the focus is obviously the next challenge, which is a great one against England.
Q. Everyone's fit, well, and there's a night training tonight, the final one before the game; is that right?
KANE WILLIAMSON: Yes. Everybody's fit, which is great. And we have a practice and look forward to the match tomorrow.
Q. You got to the same stage in your first tournament as captain five years ago against the same opponent. How far do you think this team has come in those five years?
KANE WILLIAMSON: I suppose there's always the development focus, a great focus as an international side and over a period of time there's a number of players that or personnel that change, whether that's players or support staff.
And I think we've seen that from the last tournament to this one. And then you throw in different conditions. And everybody has those challenges. But there have been some really good steps forward and this tournament compared to the last one, I suppose a few new faces and a real mixture of that sort of youth and experience.
But, yeah, it's been a nice journey, I suppose from five years ago. And it's nice to be here and be involved in the semifinals. But the guys are really looking forward to the challenge and want to continue to focus on the cricket that we've been playing and try and improve on it.
Q. Five years ago two guys who didn't play a lot were Trent Boult and Tim Southee, two veterans on this team. How important have they been in this tournament getting the team off to good starts off with the ball?
KANE WILLIAMSON: They've been brilliant. They've been involved in the team in all formats for a long time and really experienced operators for us. And experienced in terms of playing in all different conditions. And have been executing their skills beautifully and performing their realize to the highest standards. They've been doing a fantastic job for us, really leading our attack who have been performing well and adjusting well to the different surfaces that we've been on. And a real strength on our side.
Q. Why do you think you're going to be able to get the win tomorrow night?
KANE WILLIAMSON: I suppose whenever you play a game of cricket, you're focusing on the important parts to your game that give you the best chance. And no doubt England will be doing something very similar. And both teams have been playing well throughout the tournament.
It should be a really good game of cricket. And coming into the competition, every side has match winners which makes way for a really exciting event and we've seen that throughout the last sort of three weeks.
It's great to be here in the finals. For us it's going out and playing our game, expressing ourselves and committing to those little things that give us the best chance. But England are a very strong side and have been playing really well. It should be a really good game of cricket.
Q. Daryl Mitchell and Devon Conway have sort of adapted to new roles in the flight, but before that they've been doing well at domestic cricket. You may have played with Daryl. Could you talk about how the domestic structure has kept these guys international-ready, especially at this tournament?
KANE WILLIAMSON: I mean, someone like Devon has played this sort of role for us, anyway, on the New Zealand team for a while. He's a very experienced player. Although relatively new to the international game, but clearly world-class in his skill set and a fantastic head on his shoulders. He's made those adjustments really quickly and come over to the UAE, which is his first time, and played some really key roles for us.
And Daryl, who has been involved in a number of formats and has brought a brilliant attitude and I suppose coming into the tournament everybody's preparation perhaps a little bit disjointed and Daryl's given himself an opportunity to be at the top of the order with his ability to hit the ball hard and straight and also play spin.
And he's come into the side and basically grabbed every opportunity in any format with both hands. And him and Guptill at the top of the order got us off to some really nice starts.
#KaneWilliamson #ENGvNZ #T20WorldCup
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KANE WILLIAMSON: I think every team coming into the tournament knew that it would be highly competitive. And it's certainly proved to be the case and both poles were very strong. And for us the focus was to try and grow and improve just a little bit from game to game.
And I think largely we've been able to do that reasonably well and adapt to a variety of conditions that we've been faced with and the focus was for us is the same and it was great to qualify and to be here at the moment.
But the focus is obviously the next challenge, which is a great one against England.
Q. Everyone's fit, well, and there's a night training tonight, the final one before the game; is that right?
KANE WILLIAMSON: Yes. Everybody's fit, which is great. And we have a practice and look forward to the match tomorrow.
Q. You got to the same stage in your first tournament as captain five years ago against the same opponent. How far do you think this team has come in those five years?
KANE WILLIAMSON: I suppose there's always the development focus, a great focus as an international side and over a period of time there's a number of players that or personnel that change, whether that's players or support staff.
And I think we've seen that from the last tournament to this one. And then you throw in different conditions. And everybody has those challenges. But there have been some really good steps forward and this tournament compared to the last one, I suppose a few new faces and a real mixture of that sort of youth and experience.
But, yeah, it's been a nice journey, I suppose from five years ago. And it's nice to be here and be involved in the semifinals. But the guys are really looking forward to the challenge and want to continue to focus on the cricket that we've been playing and try and improve on it.
Q. Five years ago two guys who didn't play a lot were Trent Boult and Tim Southee, two veterans on this team. How important have they been in this tournament getting the team off to good starts off with the ball?
KANE WILLIAMSON: They've been brilliant. They've been involved in the team in all formats for a long time and really experienced operators for us. And experienced in terms of playing in all different conditions. And have been executing their skills beautifully and performing their realize to the highest standards. They've been doing a fantastic job for us, really leading our attack who have been performing well and adjusting well to the different surfaces that we've been on. And a real strength on our side.
Q. Why do you think you're going to be able to get the win tomorrow night?
KANE WILLIAMSON: I suppose whenever you play a game of cricket, you're focusing on the important parts to your game that give you the best chance. And no doubt England will be doing something very similar. And both teams have been playing well throughout the tournament.
It should be a really good game of cricket. And coming into the competition, every side has match winners which makes way for a really exciting event and we've seen that throughout the last sort of three weeks.
It's great to be here in the finals. For us it's going out and playing our game, expressing ourselves and committing to those little things that give us the best chance. But England are a very strong side and have been playing really well. It should be a really good game of cricket.
Q. Daryl Mitchell and Devon Conway have sort of adapted to new roles in the flight, but before that they've been doing well at domestic cricket. You may have played with Daryl. Could you talk about how the domestic structure has kept these guys international-ready, especially at this tournament?
KANE WILLIAMSON: I mean, someone like Devon has played this sort of role for us, anyway, on the New Zealand team for a while. He's a very experienced player. Although relatively new to the international game, but clearly world-class in his skill set and a fantastic head on his shoulders. He's made those adjustments really quickly and come over to the UAE, which is his first time, and played some really key roles for us.
And Daryl, who has been involved in a number of formats and has brought a brilliant attitude and I suppose coming into the tournament everybody's preparation perhaps a little bit disjointed and Daryl's given himself an opportunity to be at the top of the order with his ability to hit the ball hard and straight and also play spin.
And he's come into the side and basically grabbed every opportunity in any format with both hands. And him and Guptill at the top of the order got us off to some really nice starts.
#KaneWilliamson #ENGvNZ #T20WorldCup
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CricketIPL 2021T20 World Cup