Captain Kane Williamson fought back the tears after his New Zealand team missed out on the World Cup in a dramatic Super Over shootout with England.
In a contest that will be talked about for years to come, Williamson says seeing the hosts lift the trophy was hard to swallow after an epic battle at Lord’s on Sunday.
After scoring 241/8, the Kiwis bowled out the Poms for 241 to force the final into a Super Over for the first time in World Cup history.
What followed saw the English put up 15 runs before NZ tied it up again, with the tie-break rules handing England the title on boundaries scored in the 50 overs, 24-16 to Eoin Morgan’s manne.
"There's a lot of disappointment. The guys are feeling it" – #KaneWilliamson #CWC19| #CWC19Final pic.twitter.com/Nc3Viobcd9
— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) July 14, 2019
And Williamson, who was named Player of the Tournament with 578 runs, says there was nothing more his team could do.
Trying to hold it together, he explains: “Yeah, obviously, just gutted
“You know, the guys put in a huge amount of work to get this opportunity, to come here and play in another World Cup final.
CHAMPIONS: England players celebrate with the trophy. Photo: Kieran Galvin/EPA.
“In a lot of my press conferences I have spoken about ‘uncontrollables’ and there were a couple that were pretty hard to swallow.
“Once again, take nothing away from England’s campaign, not just this match, but throughout.
“All the good cricket they have played, they are deserving winners.”
So close, yet so far. But so much to be proud of. #CWC19| #BackTheBlackCaps| #CWC19Final pic.twitter.com/577aheGo3i
— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) July 14, 2019
Apart from the shootout, the final over of the England’s innings saw Martin Guptill’s throw-in hit Ben Stokes' bat before deflecting to the boundary rope for four bonus runs, boosting England from needing nine runs off three balls to three off two.
And Williamson adds: “There were so many other bits and pieces to that game that were so important.
"When it comes down to a tie, you start looking at every single delivery, don’t you?”