00:00Ready? We have Rachid Ravindra from New Zealand and he's ready to take your questions.
00:06Who wants to go first?
00:08Hi Rachid from India News. Quick question.
00:12The Asian teams were looking very favourites.
00:16You guys came to the party and destroyed everyone and most of them are going out.
00:20What did you guys get right?
00:23I wouldn't say we're destroying them.
00:25I think obviously it's a hell of an achievement to beat Sri Lanka in their home conditions.
00:31I think we know what a great side they are, especially in Colombo and immensely proud of the group for
00:36the fight they showed.
00:38To have contributions across the board is extremely pleasing.
00:42I guess something we pride ourselves on as a Black Caps team is adaption and we've been playing in these
00:47conditions for a period of time now.
00:48And I think as a group we're getting better at playing spin and it's testament to our trainings back home,
00:53the domestic programme, etc.
00:54So we're all developing and we just try to do our best in each moment and lucky enough, it was
00:59good enough today.
01:01Rachid, the pitch seemed to change quite drastically midway through your innings, the New Zealand innings.
01:09How did the side adapt to that, particularly because as it was changing you lost a cluster of wickets.
01:14So what were some of the conversations that were taking place within the dugout?
01:19I think what was extremely pleasing is the calmness shown by Sat and Colombo and that amazing partnership.
01:27And obviously we know the quality of Sat but obviously Colombo and being able to absorb a bit of pressure
01:32and obviously credit to the Sri Lankan bowlers.
01:34They bowled really well, stump to stump, changed their pace, made it hard for the boys, especially us losing a
01:38few wickets.
01:38But I think, again, it's the calmness of the group and realising I think there's a shorter boundary on one
01:44side and trusting our games.
01:46And I guess we probably discussed 140, 150 as we lost a few wickets was going to be a great
01:52score and whatever we got was a bonus.
01:54And I think the boys took it deep really well and set an amazing platform for us to bowl on
02:00that wicket.
02:01And we probably would have actually bowled first as well.
02:03So that's just the way Crick and the Subcontinent goes.
02:07Hi, Rachin. Really well played.
02:10Cole, talking during the mid-innings, he spoke about the interesting fields that Sri Lanka spinners had employed today,
02:16especially with the boundary dimensions unequal on both sides.
02:19So what did you see when you were batting out there?
02:21And also when you came on to bowl, what was your approach to your fields as a spin bowler?
02:26Yeah, I guess you're always teeing the ball away from the right hand.
02:30You always thought you're going to bowl from the short side to the league side.
02:33So for me, it wasn't giving them too much opportunity to use that side and operate slightly wider outside off.
02:39And lucky for me, there was a lot of turn and bounce in the wicket, which enabled me to sort
02:44of,
02:44which suits my bowling, the sort of up and down nature.
02:47And I think the great thing about our team is the comms we have within a spin unit.
02:51Obviously, Cole took the first few overs and he mentioned what was working and Santner as well.
02:55And having a leader like Santner of our spin bowling group is fantastic.
02:59So, yeah, I mean, fields, definitely I think Sri Lanka bowled amazing through that middle
03:03and put a lot of pressure on us.
03:05And for us, it's trying to squeeze when we can, when there's a new batter,
03:08trying to make sure there's a couple of dots, string them together,
03:10creates a bit of pressure on these services.
03:14Having spent time out in the middle, a considerable amount of time out in the middle,
03:18how impressive was it what Santner and McConkie managed to pull off in those dead overs?
03:24It was amazing. I can't do half of what those guys do.
03:28And that's why I guess I'm a top-order batter.
03:29And I think it was amazing to see.
03:33I think we were definitely a bit nervous in the dugout.
03:34And then we saw how they absorbed and absorbed and absorbed
03:37and just applied pressure back at the right time.
03:40And I think they both realised in terms of the wickets that we had.
03:43And it was awesome to have a left-right as well.
03:45And they looked like they targeted that shorter side and ran really hard.
03:48And it's obviously something we pride ourselves on as a New Zealand team,
03:52being able to be malleable and being able to do different things
03:55in different pressure times.
03:57But I think that the trust in each other is fantastic as a group.
04:00And we know we've hopefully got the squad to get the job done on the day.
04:04Clems.
04:05The equation is pretty simple for you guys now.
04:08Win your next game against England and then qualify for the semifinals.
04:13You reckon you'll fancy your chances,
04:14given the fact that England have not played at this venue as yet?
04:18Yeah, I mean, you're always confident going into these fixtures,
04:22especially when we know what the surface is going to be like.
04:24But I think it would be silly to underestimate England at any point.
04:28They're obviously such a quality unit and they've shown their spin bowling
04:31and how well they've been bowling.
04:32And, I mean, they've got world-class batters throughout their order.
04:36And so it's nothing necessarily like that.
04:39Obviously, we'll take confidence from today and move on,
04:42but realise in two days' time it's a different challenge
04:44and hopefully we can be up for it.
04:48So, Nagraj, you can ask.
04:50Yeah, you can ask.
04:52Hey, Raj.
04:54You mentioned shorter boundaries in a couple of your answers.
04:57You batted pretty well at the beginning.
04:59It's not that easy to just exploit the shorter boundaries.
05:03And what I want to ask you is exactly, like,
05:05how Santner and Cole really use the shorter boundary,
05:10but how challenging also it is for a batter to exploit a shorter boundary.
05:14For sure.
05:14I mean, when you see a boundary like that,
05:18the nature and tendency is a bowling team to defend it.
05:21And you've got to be creative with the angles you hit
05:23and places you stand in the crease to be able to access that.
05:26And I think those two were brilliant.
05:27You know, you could see they were in a wide hole sort of field
05:30and Santner was hitting that and Cole was across the stumps
05:33and being able to pick up, you know,
05:34a leg cutter over mid-wicket with his wrist was fantastic.
05:37You know, that stuff is incredible skill.
05:40And like I said before, the way they absorbed for a period of time
05:43and were clear about the way they wanted to go about it
05:46in the last four or five overs was extremely pleasing to see.
05:50And, you know, as a New Zealand team,
05:52it's fantastic to see the boys throughout the order doing their thing.
05:56One final one for me, Santner.
05:58He's always like, he's just so laconic, cool-headed,
06:02but clearly he's a master tactician, right?
06:05Yeah, I mean, you probably don't see it on the field,
06:07but he's, obviously, we all know how chilly he is,
06:10but also his mind and his thinking
06:13and what bowl is the bowl from what end is fantastic.
06:15But I think more than anything,
06:17he leads through his performance and his work ethic
06:20and he, you know, backs you and he pumps your tyres a lot
06:24and I think it's great to have a leader like that.
06:26Makes you feel 10-2 tall and bulletproof
06:27every time you go out onto the field
06:29and he's just a great presence to have around the group.
06:32Final question with Dronga.
06:33Rajin, it seems like you enjoyed a lot in bowling here,
06:37so we could see recent past New Zealand spinners
06:41have done a really great job in Asian conditions.
06:44What are the special things you have done in your preparations?
06:49I think, I'm not sure if it's anything special,
06:52I think most of it is backing what we do
06:54and trusting our method.
06:56Obviously, we're used to bowling the overspin stuff in New Zealand
06:59because you're not getting that much purchase
07:01so you're hoping to get a bit of dip and bounce and a bit of guile
07:04and that wicket out there was suitable for that stuff
07:07and I guess it's a bit of hard work, a bit of training
07:10and I think it's more communication between the spin group.
07:12You've got obviously Sandner who's one of the best white ball spinners in the world
07:16who tells you what to bowl,
07:17so that helps having that extra cover
07:19and we've got guys a lot of experience,
07:20each of 100 T20s, Coles play a lot of domestic cricket,
07:23GPs, you know, getting strength and strength with offspin
07:26and I'm just there to chip in a couple here and there
07:28but, yeah, I think that's certainly a strength of ours
07:31and hopefully we can take that going forward.
07:34That's it and we do have Cole McConchie for the mix zone,
07:36you can join there.
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