"I really appreciated the selfless behaviours that our middle & lower batters showed" : K Williamson

[MenInG]

"I really appreciated the selfless behaviours that our middle & lower batters showed" : K Williamson

Pre Game presser by NZ Captain Kane Williamson

Q. I was wondering what you thought of the preparations so far? Obviously a lot of your players were over in the IPL. Then you come over here to play and you play in an under-9s ground. How happy are you so far with the preparation you've had for this tournament?

KANE WILLIAMSON: Yeah, I suppose just the nature of international cricket and the various other competitions that attract players from around the world. It just sort of is what it is. We've had a number of guys involved in cricket which is the main thing. Coming here, couple of warm-up games. One very short boundary in our second warm-up game but the surface was pretty good and was a pretty good exercise all around.

So it's been good. But it only accounts for a little bit when you turn up tomorrow for our first game.

Q. You have a really tight series and won over Australia the last time you played them. Do you think New Zealand's mental attitude is getting better getting in those close games against such a great team like Australia?

KANE WILLIAMSON: Yeah, they're a very good side. We play each other a lot in recent times, and home and away. And so it will be nice, I guess, to play at a neutral venue, something slightly different.

But yeah, it's just about trying to be as smart as we can be in the conditions that you're presented with, and I think every team tries to do that as well as they can. We've seen that probably in the clashes that we've had in recent times in the series in very different conditions, I suppose, being in Australia and being in New Zealand. So it's important that both teams make those adjustments as quick as possible coming here to Edgbaston.

Q. Since McCullum has retired you've basically gone from probably having the biggest weapon in the first 10 overs in world cricket to just having a normal, sort of, opening partnership. How are you trying to overcome that, because I had a look at the stats; you're about 10, 15 runs down in the powerplay compared to where you were when you had him before. So, what are the plans that you've got to get back up there?

KANE WILLIAMSON: Like you mentioned, he's probably the most distractive batter, especially in his last couple of years in the white ball formats. Not many other teams in the world had Brendon McCullum either, which was fortunate for us.

But players move on. They retire, which is obviously what Brendon did from the international game, and your team takes a slightly different shape.

So I guess it's understanding that, trying to play the style that best suits the personnel that you have in the 11 at the time. And that's every-changing so you're trying to adjust as quickly as you can when you do lose players.

We lost obviously Brendon and some other vital players that were involved in the World Cup squad as well.

So it's just the nature of the beast. And I guess you need to be flexible when those changes come about.

Martin Guptill is possibly our best white ball cricketer and very destructive and playing very good cricket. Hopefully he can continue that.

And a number of the other guys that have been involved in those opening partnerships are moving forward quickly with their games as well.

So hopefully we can get off to a really good start tomorrow against Australia.

Q. You spoke about the good surface that you had for the warm-up. Have you had a look at the match pitch and what do you make of it, and have you decided on the 11?
KANE WILLIAMSON: No, because we haven't seen the wicket yet, to answer both of your questions. We literally just arrived. So we'll go and have a look shortly. Yeah, obviously only 15 in the squad. So we should be able to come with 11 fairly quickly.

Q. The Black Caps are rightly known as the nicest team in world cricket. With that in mind, what kind of birthday present are you going to give your Steve Smith tomorrow?

KANE WILLIAMSON: I didn't know it was his birthday. Hopefully not too many half-volleys. He doesn't need any. He's scoring plenty of runs. So should be a good game. Look forward to it.

Q. Any concern about Tom Latham, is he right to play tomorrow with his concern over his foot?
KANE WILLIAMSON: My understanding is that all players are available for selection.

Q. Are you and the Black Caps resting on your laurels after the Chappell-Hadlee series win?
KANE WILLIAMSON: No.

Q. I suppose Steve Smith wasn't playing for that series. With his return, does that make their side that much more formidable?
KANE WILLIAMSON: He's a world-class player, along with Davey Warner, who wasn't involved. But anytime you play Australia, whatever team they put out, they're very tough to beat.

And tomorrow I know we're usually involved in series, and you kind of get into the games and hopefully improve throughout. Tomorrow's a one-off fixture in tournament cricket, and it's important that we start strong.

Q. You touched on it earlier, the way that they've set up the Chappell-Hadlee series in the past couple of years means that you have played each other a lot. Are there any surprises that you can throw at each other? Do you know each other so well now, how well do you know each other?

KANE WILLIAMSON: Yeah, I mean, I guess, yes, we have played each other a lot, and we are fairly familiar with each other. But teams are always trying to do slightly different, I guess, plans to get on top of the opposition.

So for us it's trying to attack it as best we can. You come into these one-off clashes, they are very different, perhaps just being involved in a series.

And you never know, there might be the odd curveball at times that people try just because there's that sort of, that mindset of coming into a game. And on any given day we know that all eight teams can beat each other.

So that's the scenario we're faced with. And it's important that we go out and be very positive tomorrow.

Q. Lockie Ferguson spent a heck of a long time over the last two months volleying to Steve Smith. Has he given you any tips or secrets that you might be looking to implement?

KANE WILLIAMSON: No, he hasn't. No. Not too many secrets. He's a very good player. And it's important that we bowl very well to him. We'll be trying to do that as best we can and limit those sorts of players.

Q. I know you haven't decided on the 11 yet, but Jeetan Patel, I wonder what he's brought -- he's in the second life back on the team now. Whatever he's brought here, he's played a lot in England, -- is that experience heading into in the round?

KANE WILLIAMSON: Yeah, it's great, brought a lot of energy into the group. He's very excited to be involved again, which he's been pretty regular in the side, I suppose, for the last year, maybe year and a little bit, in all different formats.

And he's loved every moment of it. And it's great to be here at his home grounds where he knows the conditions very well. So that is helpful having that experience.

Q. There's been a lot of talk about Australia's base attack, although Steve Smith said that all four are unlikely to play together. But do you have any specific plans or thoughts about each of them, because each of them is a different kind of threat?

KANE WILLIAMSON: Yeah. All very good bowlers. All slightly different. But all, like I say, world class in what they do. So they do have a good bowling attack. It's important that our batsmen come out, play positively.

I suppose the focus is a lot more about how you want to play your cricket rather than perhaps the opposition, too, especially in tournament fixtures like this where it is pretty much knock-out -- a knock-out form.

So we do want to go out and play positively and play with that freedom.

 

[MenInG]

I Am afraid NZ are out of depth here against Australia - they played well in their warmup but Australia are on a different plane altogether

 

[MenInG]

Q. Steve says that Australia have got away with one. Do you feel like that as well?

KANE WILLIAMSON: I mean, we were playing some good cricket. Would have been nice to see how the game would unfold if we were able to get out and finish it. But it is a funny game, cricket.

And when there's rain around, the Duckworth-Lewis does tend to help the side batting second; but, like I say, the guys who were going well with the ball in hand, and it would have been interesting to see how it unfolded.

But we can only look at what we controlled and that was the good cricket that we played. And it's important that we take that into the next game.

Q. A quick tournament, not much time to come back from points lost, I guess, but do you feel like having played this way, you come out with a game at least full of confidence?

KANE WILLIAMSON: Yeah. That's what I mean. We can't control the weather. Although it is a little bit frustrating.

And I think the guys stuck at the task well with the bat. With the ball there, they came and bowled aggressively, which was what we were after.

And we were able to take those early wickets. And it was a good performance. Although we weren't able to perhaps see the duration of the match, which would have been nice. But, still, you never know.

Australia obviously a very good side, one of the top-ranked sides in this tournament, that's for sure. And they do have a lot of depth. So that's all the unknowns. But what we controlled, we thought today was pretty good, and it's important we move on to the next game.

Q. What do you put the collapse of the lower order down to?

KANE WILLIAMSON: Look, it's one of those interesting things when you form a partnership where you want to increase the run rate and you have wickets in hand, guys come out and play aggressively.

And you are going to lose wickets. And that's just sort of the nature of the beast. When you come up against a side like Australia, they have a very good bowling attack, and it can make striking from bowl one very difficult.

But I still, from a captaincy perspective, I really appreciated the selfless behaviours that our middle and lower batters showed to go out there and try and score from bowl one which they made the attempt. It didn't quite come off. Yes, we would have liked more, we always want more. But we still had a pretty good score on the board.

Q. Who do you think are some of the best batsmen in world cricket today?

KANE WILLIAMSON: (Laughter). There's quite a few in the opposition dressing room. Look, on any day anyone can score runs. And then people maybe think they're good players. So it's very hard to say.

Look, AB de Villiers, I think, is an exceptional player in all formats. Virat. Obviously Steve Smith. Joe Root -- I don't know, there's several other players.

Q. And yourself?

KANE WILLIAMSON: I don't know, some days it goes okay. Some days -- (laughter).

Q. Want to ask about your run-out. Did you not think the ball was coming to your end, because it looked like you weren't going at full steam the whole way through the run.

KANE WILLIAMSON: Yeah, I sort of didn't think we were going to run. And then we ran, and I was -- a bit of a bugger.

But, yeah, it's cricket, isn't it? And it would have been nice to try and carry on for a little bit longer and get us, perhaps, a bigger score if you could and things went your way. But, yeah, a bit of a mix-up. But never mind.

Q. Your thoughts on Adam's bowling performance today?

KANE WILLIAMSON: He bowled very well in the rain as well, even more impressive. Yeah, I thought the guys came out and bowled aggressively, which I thought was very important and hit the wicket hard, which we saw, when the Australians bowled, when they did that, it was a little bit more difficult to score and get some momentum.

So that's what we set out to do. And I thought they executed very well. They made it hard to get away on a very good batting surface.

So I thought the bowlers, although it was a short, small sample size, sorry, I thought they showed some good intent and bowled very well.

Q. Want to ask you about your own batting. But perhaps you'll have a comment on Luke Ronchi at the top of the order?

KANE WILLIAMSON: I thought Ronch was outstanding setting the tone today. Also Guptill as well, that was a very good partnership at the top of the order against a very good bowling attack in that of Australia, to get us off to a very good start and show that sort of increasing run rate, which I think most sides around the world are attempting to do. It was a great effort by Luke and very good innings.

Q. Were you surprised how many -- obviously Luke batted very well, but how loose the Australian bowling was, first up, and Steve was quite disappointed with how they started.

KANE WILLIAMSON: It's not really something you think about too much. You just, as a batsman, I'm assuming you're asking, when I was out in the middle. I think if they have a slight, I guess, day where they're not bowling perfectly, they're still very, very good. And that's sort of the nature of their attack. They're probably one of the best attacks in world cricket.

And they're always taking wickets. And today I thought the opening partnership from us was very, very good and put them under a bit of pressure on a good batting surface.

But they were still able to take those wickets as well, which is something, I suppose, for the other teams to strive for, that on some of these surfaces you want to take those wickets through that middle period and certainly at the depth as well.

Q. Do you think the ball is going to swing at all during this tournament, and does that change your tactics at all?

KANE WILLIAMSON: I don't know. I think if it's overcast and it doesn't rain, then that would help. Coming into today, we did hear that it was going to be quite overcast. And the sun was out, we thought it was perhaps a good opportunity to bat, thinking that maybe when it was our turn to bowl we might get some swing.

But then it kept raining. And obviously when that happens the ball gets a little bit damp and kind of takes that away.

So it will be interesting to see. I know in the warm-up games there was some swing. And certainly when it became overcast and the lights came on, there was a little bit more movement as well, which is sort of the nature of cricket in this country.

Q. Going back to the toss when you saw the team sheet and Marcus Stoinis wasn't on there after the unbeaten 146 he made two stats ago, were you surprised?

KANE WILLIAMSON: He's a very good player. He played really nicely against us in that home series. I suppose that's the luxury for choice in the Australian side. They've got a lot of depth and perhaps unlucky to miss out, but you look at the 11 that they had out there on the park and it was a very strong side.

Q. What's your assessment of the group now after this washout? Are you a bit behind the eight ball now, slightly?

KANE WILLIAMSON: Yeah, one point, I suppose. It is what it is. We've got two more games. It's still -- the nature of this tournament is every game is basically knockout-style. So you need to play in that fashion, and those sorts of things we can't really control, we don't want to focus too much on. We'd rather focus a lot more on the cricket that we want the play.

And I think today we played some good cricket, showed some good signs, and we'll need to be better again going into the game against England.

 

[Muhammad10]

Aussies were there for the taking; they must've been grateful when the rain arrived.

 

[KyoOne]

I Am afraid NZ are out of depth here against Australia - they played well in their warmup but Australia are on a different plane altogether

Lols, you seriously said that?