Aaron Johnson (Canada player) pre-match Press Conference - 10th June 2024
[Reporter:]
Aaron, coming off the win against Ireland, what are your thoughts going up against Pakistan?
[Aaron Johnson:]
I think it's a great win for Canada, historic win. And I think we just need to take it one ball at a time. As we see, the wicket here is kind of tricky, so we just need to have a game plan and stick to it.
[Reporter:]
What were the biggest changes you saw from the match against the US to Ireland that got you over the line?
[Aaron Johnson:]
I think our fielding was very good, a total team effort. I think we played positive cricket and we managed to get the highest score so far here in New York. We even got a very decent total in, I think, the second highest total. So, we are looking to bat positively and just back it up in the field.
[Reporter:]
Coming off the win, what's the mood in the camp now?
[Aaron Johnson:]
I think the mood, everyone knows. You must have seen it on social media where the guys are happy, guys are fancying their chances, and definitely looking forward to playing against some of the big guns in Pakistan team.
[Reporter:]
What do you see as maybe the main areas of opportunity and some of the threats that Pakistan present?
[Aaron Johnson:]
I think they are very skilled players. Most of these guys have been going around the world playing league cricket, not only international cricket, so their skills are there. But if you're looking for opportunity, you have to relish these moments. So, I believe the fact that the wicket is playing some tricks, it levels the playing field for us, and we're looking to use that to our advantage.
[Reporter:]
You mentioned levelling the playing field and using the pitch to your advantage. How comfortable do you feel in these conditions and with this drop in wicket?
[Aaron Johnson:]
Again, I think it's the first time, personally, I'm playing on drop in wickets. Or we did have GT20, but also those were low scoring games. So definitely, it's a challenge. But as professionals, I think we have to, as I said, look forward to challenges and look for positive ways of overcoming them.
[Reporter:]
Lastly, how are you feeling about your tournament so far and how much are you looking forward to this opportunity against Pakistan?
[Aaron Johnson:]
Personally, I would love to be doing better especially with the bat but again, I think the team have targets power play and I've managed to help the team to accomplish those targets and we got one win. So if I'm looking at it from a selfish point of view, I'd want to do better but as a team point of view, I think we're doing very well.
[Reporter:]
How was that win? I'm sure it was such a milestone for Canadian cricket, but how important was that for the whole of Canadian cricket and North America?
[Aaron Johnson:]
Again, as I said, it's a very big win for us. It's a historic win. It's our first T20 win against a test-playing nation, and this just shows that Canada has a lot to offer to the world of cricket. I'm pretty sure this will drive a lot of investment in Canadian cricket to show that we are here to compete. We are not just here to be a part of the tournament. And moving forward, we got ODI status earlier, and we qualified to play here in the World Cup, so I think it's massive, and for us as a group, it drives a sense of believe within the group. So, I think we have to just take it stride and keep moving forward.
