New Zealand wanted to win Champions Trophy final for Matt Henry: Mitchell Santner

10 months ago

New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner said that the team was looking to win the Champions Trophy final against India for the injured Matt Henry. The pacer missed the summit clash due to an injury and was left in tears ahead of the game on Sunday.

Transcript

00:00Skipper, was it tough for the fast bowlers to contain runs from, because from both the

00:06sides fast bowlers took a real beating and spinners were dominating?

00:14Yeah I think with the slow nature of the wicket it looked a little bit harder for the fast

00:19bowlers but I think you know the best time to bat is probably in the power play and that's

00:23when obviously the fast bowlers start their work so I think on both sides the power play

00:29looked quite challenging with the ball and then especially I guess with in our batting

00:35innings then the spinners can really get into their work and it started to slow down a little

00:38bit but yeah I think it was still a pretty good wicket throughout the game.

00:46Throughout the tournament India has played really well, despite the loss are you just

00:51proud of the team for the fact that they did give them good competition in the end and

00:55despite you having to move countries twice you know you gave a good performance in the

00:59final?

01:01Yeah I guess it's kind of bittersweet at the end, you know I think we came up against a

01:06good side in the final but yeah I think you know we challenged India at times throughout

01:13this game which was which was pleasing I think there was probably a couple of small moments

01:17where we let it I guess get away from us but yeah incredibly proud of this group the way

01:24we've kind of gone about it throughout this tournament you know we've had a mix of kind

01:28of experienced players but a few younger players in the squad so yes it's yeah it's been it's

01:34been I guess an easy one to captain different guys stepping up at different times throughout

01:39the tournament which has been been outstanding and we came up against a very good team today

01:45you know we were in in the game for most of it but it was kind of we probably left maybe

01:5020 runs out there with the bat and then I think the way kind of Rohit Sharma played kind of took

01:56it away from us a little bit.

01:58On hindsight do you think chasing would have been better or what do you think about that?

02:08No I think I think there's probably a little bit more turn second innings I think you know it was

02:17a pretty consistent pitch all the way through I think you know I guess coming off the semi-final

02:21where we we feel like we can if we get a total we can squeeze teams and we did that for I guess a

02:27majority of this game but yeah I think outside of the power play with the bat we kind of lost a

02:34couple pretty quickly and then it was it looked it was definitely a hard wicket to start on and

02:39then yeah I think we probably left maybe 25 out there and then it may have been a different game.

02:45Yeah Mitchell you you said there were a couple of areas or a couple of times when you know you

02:52could have pushed ahead and you would have seen a kind of windows for for New Zealand to come in

02:56and what were some of those could you just kind of talk us through those moments?

02:59No I think the the intent we had with the bat especially at the start was outstanding it was

03:06clearly the probably the best time to bat was that was the power play and I think you know the way

03:10we went about it for the first kind of yeah eight overs or so was was outstanding and then it took

03:15you know some some brilliance from the spin balls to kind of really peg us back and make it I guess

03:20challenging through that kind of middle phase yeah we didn't I guess after the start we were

03:26probably thinking you know 280, 275 but the way you know they were able to squeeze and and build

03:32pressure and then it really I mean the way Michael Bracewell played at the end got us you know up to

03:37that kind of that 250 mark but it was you know maybe looking a little bit less.

03:45Mitchell can you really put a pass score on pitches like these actually because you started

03:52up at some point in time was seven plus an over middle as it dropped before in across five plus

03:57251 can you really put a pass score pitch like this at the start?

04:03Yeah I think it was it was it was probably still a pretty good batting wicket especially first

04:07innings but you know it's you got it you come up against four pretty good spinners on on a slightly

04:14slow wicket it's it's always going to be a challenge yeah I think we'll we probably could

04:19have I think after the start we we had we potentially could have got more but you know

04:24I think credit has to go you know especially Coley breakthrough straight off the power play

04:28Varun in the in the power play and then we know that the left arm finger spinners can really

04:33squeeze any team and then yeah I think with the with the ball we still felt we had a competitive

04:38score but I think you know when you're 100 for none it's it always makes it a bit of a challenge

04:44but I think I guess proud of the group to keep you know keep fighting keep backing it up in the

04:49field and we were able to keep chipping wickets to make it make it harder.

04:54Mitch you're obviously no stranger to like these final defeats in the last few years how does the

05:00feeling now compare to the feeling after the other ones? Yeah I guess they're starting to add up a bit

05:05now but yeah it's I mean it's you if you make finals you're coming up against another pretty

05:12good team who's also playing some good cricket so I think you know I was I was proud with the way

05:16we fought tonight you know I think we we pride ourselves on especially in the field as it's not

05:21giving up and I don't think we did throughout throughout that innings it's I guess it's yeah

05:26it's bittersweet you always want to win one of these and I don't have any more chances we'll get

05:30but yeah I think you know this is up there for us I think we were playing some good cricket

05:34leading into this and we thought we were a real sniff today but I guess just got beaten by by a

05:40good team. Mitch what could be missing in the big games in the big finals and the same you know like

05:47a few semifinals also New Zealand have lost in the 23 you guys again lost to India in the

05:52semifinals at the so is this something that the knockout punch that is missing

05:59can you put a finger to it that maybe what is it that is preventing New Zealand from crossing the

06:04final hurdle? I guess we just keep coming up against India which is which is always a challenge

06:10no I think you know like I said before it's you know you got to acknowledge that it's it's a

06:17massive game but I think the way you go about it is as you treat it as you know what we've been

06:22doing throughout the tournament we knew the conditions were going to be slightly different

06:26again from the semi-final but you know we were ready for that you know I thought we we still

06:32put in a pretty good pretty good performance and we we took India deep but I guess there's always a

06:36few moments in every game let alone every final where you can potentially look back at but yeah I

06:43guess just the way we kind of kept sticking at it the way we fought you know pretty proud of the

06:48group for for doing that. Good game Mitch, tough luck. During the drinks break you had a little

07:01chat and after that the team changed completely and you guys came back very strongly what was the

07:06message that you gave your team at that point of time? We just needed to get Rohit Sharma out by

07:12the looks of it but yeah I think it was you know obviously they got off to a good start with with

07:18some good batting and a good partnership but you know I think we still felt through the middle

07:23stages you could really squeeze the new batters you know it looked like a tough wicket to start on

07:29as you know it was the other get other day here so you know we're still trying to be aggressive

07:34with the ball just told someone to potentially change the game with a catcher or run out of

07:39something and you know I think you know we were still able to chip wickets out I think there was

07:44a little period of play there before Rohit got out that we we definitely started to squeeze and you

07:49could kind of feel something something happening but I think you know to go run a ball 70 or 80

07:56yard on that wicket was it was pretty good knock. Mitch, the team faced a little bit of adversity

08:02this tournament a couple of injuries at the start, Rajan's head knock in the tri-series and

08:07obviously a lot of travel throughout the tournament as well can you just talk to me about

08:10how proud you you are of this group overall in the tournament?

08:17Yeah I mean it's you know it's never going to go perfectly you know these tournaments and I

08:22guess with the quick turnaround of games like we had but I think what's most pleasing is you know

08:27different guys got opportunities and and stepping up as you know couldn't be prouder of the group

08:35you know guys coming in and out it's always it's always you obviously want to play every game but

08:40you know I think and then obviously the way Chin came back straight away after his head knock and

08:43hit the ball running and KJ flying over and then you know straight in and I thought he bowled

08:49extremely well in the games he played and you know obviously a tough one losing losing Tezzer

08:54today but you know he tried his very best to be to be ready for for this game so yeah I guess

08:59there's always adversity in these tournaments and you know you could you could take it back

09:05to a few different things but you know I think you know we didn't really complain about anything we

09:09just kind of get on with it and that's that's how we we like to operate and yeah obviously pretty

09:14proud of the way we kind of fought throughout this whole tournament and in different conditions

09:18everywhere we went really. Matt Henry you talked about him a little bit but could you just elaborate

09:25a little bit he was he looked pretty distraught before the game failing that fitness test and

09:31he's also got a great record taking early wickets against India in big matches how much did you miss

09:36him as a captain? Yeah I think he's you know he's I guess he was leading wicket taker going to this

09:42game and he's an outstanding bowler as we've seen he he seems to be able to nip it on on wickets

09:47that don't look like they should nip so I guess we missed that today and he was you know I you

09:52know I feel for for Matty he's he's a massive team man and you like you said he looked pretty

09:57distraught you know we just kind of said like let's do it for him I guess he you know to come

10:03this far and then and then be injured for the for the for the main event was you know it's obviously

10:09pretty tough for him and I guess for us but yeah he tried everything he could to be ready for this

10:14game and unfortunately for us he wasn't quite he wasn't quite there. Mitch first of all

10:23congratulations for reaching to the finals just wanted to know that in in in this looking back

10:28in this tournament if you have seen that the India, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa

10:33these are the four teams they also reached the semi-finals in the last 50 over World Cup as well

10:37so if you look at the setup in ODIs do you think that these four teams and maybe if you mix England

10:42in the mix and there is a significant difference in quality between these top five teams and the

10:47rest of the other teams they are playing ODIs? It's a tough one I guess yeah I think I guess

10:57I think obviously clearly India here you know understood the conditions in Dubai perfectly

11:02and and played some good cricket you know South Africa are always a very good team especially

11:09with the balance yeah I think you know we think I guess we were lucky we had a few all-rounders

11:16that could bowl spin as well which was handy and I think yeah I think it's there is there is periods

11:22through every game where it can shift you know you have to kind of stick in for it for a period

11:28of time and you know we saw even you know a couple of games Afghanistan 30 for three and they can end

11:34up you put one big partnership together you can get yourself up to 300 so it's it's definitely I

11:39think the format it's it's a great format because you know you need a few guys to step up you need

11:45a team a team effort to to put yourself in a good position you know one guy can change it but

11:51I guess in T20 one guy can definitely turn the game away from you so you know we've seen periods

11:56throughout this tournament where you know teams have been challenged put under pressure and if

12:01you can kind of weather the storm and get through it you can really put the pressure back on on

12:06teams and I guess India were able to do that here I guess we were able to do that against South Africa

12:11in the semi and yeah I think throughout the different conditions I think the best teams who

12:17were able to to adapt the quickest you know put themselves in a pretty good position yeah

12:23Rohit Sharma didn't have the great tournament until this final game and he has a different

12:27template if you look at especially since 2023 ODI World Cup was it slightly different his

12:33approach as a as a New Zealand team founder especially after the initial onslaught the way he

12:39batted in the later part of his innings I guess if you would ask Rohit before the tournament which

12:45game would he like to score the most runs it would probably be the final but I think his

12:50yeah I think his approach he he puts fear in bowlers he you know that kind of aggressive

12:55nature I think him and Shubman dovetail well Shubman you know will wait for a bad ball but

13:02Rohit is pretty happy to hit hit bowlers off their lengths and you know I guess the way he goes about

13:08it you might fail a few times but if you can really like he did today if you can really get

13:13your team off to a fly especially on a on a slow wicket you you put yourself kind of ahead of the

13:18game and he you know like their power play with with the bat was was good and then you know I

13:24guess we're kind of on the back foot from there with with him being probably 100 for none so

13:29yeah I think the way he goes about it he might fail every now and then but you know he can he

13:34can potentially turn one game you know just by the way he kind of goes about and he he did that tonight

13:44cheers guys

New Zealand wanted to win Champions Trophy final for Matt Henry: Mitchell Santner

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended