|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
ICC CRICKET WORLD CUPMarch 14, 2015William PorterfieldADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA Q. William, how do you approach a match like this that you have to win? Is there anything you have to do, anything special you have to do? WILLIAM PORTERFIELD: No, I don't think there is anything special. It's just another game of the group in terms of preparation. We spoke about it before the group started is taking each game as an individual game, and I think we've managed to do that throughout the competition. I think coming down the back end of the group stage, obviously, the games come a bit thicker and faster, so you have slightly less time to prepare. But I think all the work in terms of cricket-wise has been done up until now. It's just a case of getting mentally prepared and. Yeah, obviously result-wise it's a case of winner takes all, but that doesn't really come into your preparation or anything like that. You're still going to prepare to win each game, which we have done. So in terms of that, things stay the same. Q. What is the biggest challenge for you tomorrow? The opposition, Pakistan or the situation of the game? WILLIAM PORTERFIELD: I think it's just playing the game. The opposition is what's in front of you, and you have to prepare to beat them. I don't think you can think about the outcome in terms of you're putting pressure on yourself, obviously. Some lads may think about it more than others, and that may be an extra motivation factor for themselves. But for myself, it's just preparing to win that game and analyzing the opposition as we do. As long as we prepare how we have done for each individual game, then we'll be fine. Q. You've been playing to win close games. Like how have these games prepared you to handle pressure coming in to a do-or-die match? How important are the earlier games? WILLIAM PORTERFIELD: I don't mind tight games as long as we come out the right side of them. I think that's been great. I think it's been different lads that put their hands up, but at different stages, obviously. The first tier against the West Indies the top order got us over the line. The next game we left our middle order a bit more work than we would have liked, but they got us over the line there. You can't buy that kind of experience out in the middle. Obviously, against some batters and bowlers that time. We got the runs on the board, but coming down the back end, they saw us over the line. So I think it's been a good mix throughout the group in terms of who has put their hands up at different stages and everyone throughout the team has done that, so that can only stand us in good stead going into tomorrow, regardless which way around we do things. Q. Pakistan former Champions Trophy, best playing team. So in this kind of winner-take-all match, do you think Pakistan has more to lose than you, or do you think you're fearless and you want to win as well and take the win? WILLIAM PORTERFIELD: We're just thinking about ourselves. Obviously, everyone knows what's up for grabs, but we're just worried about going out there and getting two points. In terms of how much pressure and how Pakistan look at things or how much pressure they put on themselves, that's something that's not under our control. What's under our control is how we can approach the game. We've done that the same way we have done every other game throughout the group. I think that's a good way to go about things. It's a good place to be, I think. If you start thinking about the outcome too much, you'll take your eye off the process, which sounds pretty cliché, but I think it's worked throughout the competition for us, and how we've prepared for games. I think tomorrow isn't any different with regards to that. Q. When you look back at Ireland-Pakistan matches, in 2007 you obviously had a great win. Then there was a time which you scored more runs than Pakistan, and you were involved in all the five games that Ireland has played. Do you draw confidence from your performance against a team like Pakistan, or is it the fact that you've been batting really well that gives you a bit more confidence going into this match? WILLIAM PORTERFIELD: I think a combination of everything. I think that we're at a stage now where I don't think we have a plan, but we have confidence going into every game that if we bring our A-game and play the way we can play, then we can win each game. I think it's been a major plus over the last 12, 15 months or over two years how we've played in 50 over games with the bat. And I've been really pleased with this competition with how much intent we've shown and how much confidence we've played with with the bat right throughout the order. I think that was as much in the Indies game as much as we could fall as short as we (Indiscernible). But you go out and play with the freedom and intent as much as you want to throughout the 50 overs. Obviously, we lost wickets in key stages once we started to get a bit of momentum going again. But from the platform we have, if we could set up that platform in each game, I think we'll come home stronger more often than not. Q. There is a lot of comparison between this game and the game played in 2007 in Kingston. Pakistani needs to win that game against Ireland to qualify. Do you think you have a psychological advantage over Pakistan of surprising them again? WILLIAM PORTERFIELD: I think 2007 is completely different. I think obviously that was our first taste of a World Cup. It was our second game in the competition. Not many countries that were there would have known much about us. I think over the last eight years we've obviously grown massively as a country and as a cricket-playing nation. So I think that there is no real surprise as such. Everyone knows everything about every member of our squad and vice versa. So I don't think there are going to be any surprises or anything out of the box come tomorrow of what we can do or can't do. Yeah, I don't think it will be as big a surprise if we do go out there and win tomorrow as it would have been back in 2007. Q. The reality is as well as Afghanistan, UAE and Scotland have done at various times in this competition, they haven't managed to win against a full member country. Is there a sense that what happens perhaps in 2019 will depend very much on how far Ireland goes in this competition? And does that put any kind of pressure on you in turn? WILLIAM PORTERFIELD: A couple of things: I don't think it should matter. I think all teams in the competition have shown enough to justify a change in 2019 and from the World Cup. I think, obviously, Afghanistan could have gonna cross the line against Sri Lanka, especially when they got Jayawardene out. Obviously, Perreira took the game away, he got 40 off 20 balls, but from the position they were in, they could have gotten across the line, which would have been great for them to get that win. But I don't think it should matter. We've shown enough regardless come tomorrow of where we're at and where the next qualifiers are at. I think UAE put in big performances as well. That first game against Zimbabwe, if they had that game again, they probably would have gone an extra 20, 30 runs, and I think they would have gonna cross the line. I know you've heard me say it a lot over the last six weeks is fixtures. We've played nine against the top ten in the last four years, and I'm sure that's a lot more maybe by Afghanistan. I'm not sure how many they've played. But UAE and Scotland wouldn't have played that many. So accumulative among the four countries, we've probably played as many in four years as a lot of teams play in one year, if not less. So in terms of coming into this competition, I think the qualifiers have prepared themselves very well considering the preparation over the four years. I think to be able to do that with that little preparation is great. I think there is enough evidence throughout the games already to justify a change in the 2019 competition regardless of any outcome tomorrow. Obviously, if we do qualify tomorrow it's going to do even more for Irish cricket and the support we've already had back home has been fantastic. If we can do that for the fans back home and for ourselves, justifying all the hard work we've been into it in the last six weeks, that's going to be great. Once you get to the quarterfinal, who knows where from there. It's a straight knockout stage, and you're three games away from lifting the cup. Q. Pakistan's pace attack is generally regarded as one of the best in the tournament. Are you happy you'll be facing it on a flat wicket? WILLIAM PORTERFIELD: Obviously the last game played here for the seamers coming down the back end, obviously (Indiscernible) did it against England, and they're still finding a bit of sideways movement coming down the back end. He's probably up there one of the quicker bowlers in the competition with what he's been clocked at. So I think it depends what the pitch throws up. But we've played against some very good pace attack so far in the competition, and this actually prepared us a lot for this game. So you've got a few slightly different attributes. We've got a seven-foot players, so that's something different you have to contend with. But in terms of facing their attack, I think we're pretty well climatized by now as they go out there and post a total or chase down a total, whoever comes up against us. Q. Considering the condition of the pitch here and your strength as considered as batting is your strength, what do you think if you bat first will be the target to defend against Pakistan? WILLIAM PORTERFIELD: I think it's -- Q. What the target should be? WILLIAM PORTERFIELD: You look at all scores throughout this competition. 280, 290 is minimum, if not in around 300s, and a lot of teams batting first have won with those totals. Obviously Bangladesh defended with 275 here a few days ago. So I think it varies. You've just got to assess the conditions and play the conditions on the day. I think that there can be a swing in 30 runs on the day, and you never know whatever score you get on the board, you pick up a couple early wickets, and there is never an easy total to chase down. Again, I think it comes down to how well you play on the day, and what you can defend and what you believe you can defend. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|