	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP

June 5, 2019

Ross Taylor

Kennington, London, England, UK

New Zealand - 248-8, Bangladesh - 244

Q. Ross, how important is a win for the tournament, given the intensity it was played at, towards the ends in particular?
ROSS TAYLOR: Yeah, we were very convincing in the first game and we were put under pressure.

I thought we bowled very well to keep them down to a below-par total and we thought if we could, you know, we knew if we batted 50 overs we would give ourselves a pretty good chance of winning this game but we lost wickets at crucial times and we would have loved to have been a bit more clinical, but we were put under pressure. Responded in different ways.

But you know, it's probably a positive that a lot of players actually got a bit of a bat after not having a bat. We would have loved to have won the game a lot earlier than that but you've got to give credit to Bangladesh. They just never gave up. They fought all the way to the end and I think the way the crowd got into it, I thought at times while we were out there, I thought I was in Chittagong or Dhaka. It was amazing to be a part of and I thought just fantastic for the tournament to have such a close game.

Q. And just take us through a couple of close run-out calls there, and is how did that unfold?
ROSS TAYLOR: Obviously very lucky with the first one. With Kane and then I think I was in by one centimetre and I think Jim was in by half a centimetre. You know, we talk about innings and that, and it's part and parcel of cricket. I always do love batting with Kane, and he's great to be batting with, but you know, we had a bit of luck today, and hopefully, you know, I don't really look too much into it. Just trust yourselves and I thought he batted very well today.

But yeah, just get on with it, and we had a bit of luck and I thought the way we fielded today was outstanding. That runout that we got I think was at a crucial stage as well.

Q. Was the middle overs for the spinner, it was difficult for you to bat, you and Kane Williamson? And my second question, what was the turning point of this match in your opinion?
ROSS TAYLOR: I don't think I could pinpoint one. There's so many to pick moments throughout this whole game. I think we knew they were going to bowl a lot of spin at us, for most of the game, I thought we played the spin really well.

Obviously Shakib came on and got the two early wickets inside the top ten which always if you tell us you on the back foot a little bit, but no, I actually felt quite comfortable there. I think they had six on the attacking fields and it was nice to be able to hit some boundaries and put some pressure back on them.

It wasn't easy to rotate the strike, but I think we still were able to get those twos and fours; that we were able to just keep the score. It's a lot easier to play like that in those situations when you're only chasing 240. Would to be a lot more proactive when you're chasing totals of 280,300, but that wasn't necessary today.

Q. Mushfiqur Rahim made a mistake today. Did that make the difference of this match?
ROSS TAYLOR: I don't know what Kane was on at the time. As I said before, I think there's a lot of crucial moments. You know, Tom Latham might have come out there and had a bit of chance of having a bit of an innings out there. There's so many what-ifs.

At the end of the day, I think we weren't as clinical as we would have liked, but you know, we got the two points, which is first and foremost what we wanted, to come here. At the end of the day, we were put under pressure and it was nice to come out on top.

Q. How important was Lockie Ferguson those first and third spells, very hard to get away?
ROSS TAYLOR: Yeah, I think as I said, I thought we bowled really well as a team throughout the whole innings, but Lockie, he just gives you that X-factor. Obviously our fastest bowler. He's not bowling with a new ball here. Just coming in there and trying to take those wickets through the middle like he can. I think it's not necessarily just the pressure that he bowls with, the pace that he bowls, but I think he's creating pressure for the guy at the other end.

A couple of the grounds are going to be a bit smaller, and we're going to have to use Lockie and be a bit smarter with the way we use our short ball. But the dimensions today probably helped us out today with a slightly bigger square of boundaries.

But he's going to be a key factor for us if we're going to feature in this tournament, and I think the way he can -- all the bowlers bowled really well, and I think they will take a lot of confidence from the way they bowled.

Q. Was there something about the conditions that brought about some of the shots?
ROSS TAYLOR: No, I think it's probably the pressure that we're under. You talking about our innings or both?

No, I think, in that situation, as I said, if you take it to the last over, more often than not, you're going to win the game. We keep them to a below par total, you've got to back your players out there to make the right decision at that crucial moment, and you know, with guys that have played different shots, you know, who knows.

At the end of the day, there's no what-ifs. You just go out there and trust yourself and I think the way, as I said, would have liked to have been a little bit more clinical, but at the end of the day, we were very happy with the win.

Q. And the two points --
ROSS TAYLOR: Yeah, I think you can analyze it the whole way or you know just rush it over. I think at the end of the day, it's still the start of the tournament. We're still getting used to these conditions.

But we were put under pressure today, and we came out with the right result and I think that bodes well for the tournament.

Obviously a lot of spinners bowled today, and I think against Afghanistan, they have a lot of spin there, so something to factor in. But two from two, that was what he with wanted to do and we were able to do it.

Q. How much of an impact does the crowd have?
ROSS TAYLOR: That's a good question, I guess when it's a neutral venue, we know what we're going to expect when we go to Chittagong, Dhaka, going to be great crowds and great support. But I thought it was fantastic. I thought the way they got behind both teams, that's what World Cups are all about.

Quite often when you do play a neutral game, it can be a little lull on the crowd, and there was a lot of kiwis out there that were giving us a lot of support. All bodes well for a good World Cup, and just the game in general. It was played in the right spirit, and you know, it all bodes well for a good tournament.

Q. I think today was your 400th international. Just in that time, you would have seen it all pretty much and been in many pressure situations. What's it like when you're back and watching, when it's out of your hands?
ROSS TAYLOR: Yeah, that's another good question. You try to get confidence when a new batter is coming in. Try to give him as much advice as possible and pump the guys up at the same time. It's a World Cup. It's not a bilateral match; you lose that, you go on to the next game. It's still very important.

But yeah, I guess you know, in hindsight, it would have been nice to have an established batter in there towards the end, and I guess that's why I was disappointed for me to get out. But in that situation, you know, it is what it is. The boys held their nerve towards the end there, and that's all you can ask for.

It's not going to be the last time we're put under pressure in this tournament, and it's nice we got out on the other end with the win, and I'm sure that will bode well when we are put under pressure when we're batting first or batting second.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297