After leading his side to its first ICC Trophy in 21 years, Kane Williamson said it was finally good to end up on the right side of a final after losing the last two 50-over World Cup finals in 2015 and 2019.
“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. 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.
Praise for Taylor
On his partnership with Ross Taylor, Williamson, who made an unbeaten half-century, said, “... fantastic to be part of a contribution and a partnership like that. Obviously, with Ross, our most experienced player and leader in the group, 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 some of that pressure and put together a partnership,” he said.
During the post-match presentation, Williamson also credited his team for sticking to its beliefs and style of cricket.
“We know we don't always have the stars and we rely on a few other bits and pieces players to try and stay in games and be competitive. And I think we saw that in this match, we saw a lot of heart, a lot of commitment, what's important to our group and the commitment to the style of cricket we held strong, which was great,” he said.
