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ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP

June 22, 2019

Trent Boult

Manchester, England, UK

New Zealand - 291/8 (50), West Indies - 286 (49)

Q. You've taken some impressive catches for New Zealand in your time. What were you thinking when you saw that final hit coming from Brathwaite towards you?
TRENT BOULT: Yeah, pressure situation, I guess. Initially I thought it was going to be quite a way inside the rope, but almost driven for six in the end, but nice to sniffle it. And what a game. Simple as that, really.

Q. Take us through the bowling performance and I guess the ebb and flow of their innings, because Brathwaite, pretty extraordinary stuff, but just how did you approach it, particularly towards the end, some pretty tough times in the depth bowling?
TRENT BOULT: Push to the start first, I reckon, came out and put a bit of pressure on them. Nice to get a couple of wickets really. That's always the focus, really. But the way Chris batted -- he's done it many a time -- and couple of dropped catches, which are disappointing.

But, yeah, they'll come at us their first stage. So it was great to see the bowlers come back in those middle periods and pull it back a little bit. And I thought we were in an, obviously, very good position. But for Carlos to come out and do that as cleanly as he did, pure hitting -- I'm going to say that was pretty cool to watch -- but, no, great game, great for the tournament and it was a good crowd out there as well. So it was good for them as well.

Q. At 245 for 9, bit of complacency crept in, or it was just Brathwaite was too good?
TRENT BOULT: I think the depth bowling is always a challenge. It's quite hard when you've got someone hitting it as cleanly as he was there. But, yeah, I don't think there's any complacency. I think there's a lot of credit for Carlos to come out and do what he did and put a lot of pressure on us.

It was pretty exceptional. But -- a great 100. But to come that close and be on the right side of it is, of course, a very good feeling.

Q. Perhaps a reflection too, sitting in the dressing shed or in the dugout and you've got two wickets down that first over. A thought on Kane's innings and I guess the support he had from Ross. How did that ease tension?
TRENT BOULT: I thought it was classy, to be honest. It's what they've done many a time for us, time and time again and just absorbed the pressure there, especially Kane and backed up nicely with Ross.

Kane got the rewards in terms of a big innings under his belt, but it was big for us to see the platform, get us that chance to push to a good score. I think the wicket probably wasn't as good as what we thought it was going to be. But 290 was a pretty positive total in our opinion.

Yeah, great game. You can't judge the wicket until both teams get on it. But 600-odd runs out there is pretty cool.

Q. When you look back over the tournament as a whole, it's been a bit of a roller coaster when you think Bangladesh and South Africa today. A real heart jerker to watch for the people back home. A, what's it like to play; and, B, how do you feel when you sit here now, having come through that and you're unbeaten?
TRENT BOULT: It's a bit special, to be honest. It's been a bit of an emotional roller coaster sitting there with the pads at times and then being under the pump there with the ball. It's what it's all about. It's awesome to be a part of it. And I'm sure there will be a lot of proud Kiwis back home, diving into poached eggs, watching a result like that.

Be pretty proud to -- nice to be on the right side of it, of course. But it's nice to be put under pressure like that with both facets of the game there, and I'm sure that will give us a little bit of confidence moving hopefully deeper into the tournament.

Q. A word on your own bowling. Four of 30 today, of 10, finally some wickets for you. Are you happy about that, and did you change anything today? Or was that just the way it came out?
TRENT BOULT: No, I'm almost 30 now, so I'm getting on a bit. So I've played enough cricket to understand it comes around when it comes around, I suppose. I feel like I've been contributing to the rest of the group in terms of building pressure in certain ways.

But, of course, nice to get a couple myself today. But I think the way that Lockie has been coming in with the middle of their bowling, a lot of speed, a lot of pace and doing what he's been doing, it's been awesome to watch. Nice for the bowling unit to stick together and get the job done.

Q. When as a team you've had that kind of over in the 48th, it throws everything into disarray. What's the best practise to keep it in check? What did you guys do to have your minds clear? And what was the plan for the 49th over?
TRENT BOULT: The Depth bowling?

Q. The 48th over, and the three 6s they hit, and all of a sudden you are from a winning position you're actually looking at --
TRENT BOULT: Yeah, big ground, I think. If we could take it to the other end and make them hit big shots into the bigger side was probably the simple message. Fergie had just come and just bowled one over there, and under a bit of a pressure cooker I thought he did very well. He took pace off the ball.

I thought Carlos was going to tap one and look to take five off the last over. But he looked for the big one. Great game. I'm sure he'll be hurting. But I think a lot of credit is due to him and -- for getting them in a pretty good position.

Q. What did Carlos tell you at the end; seemed like did it have to be you or something?
TRENT BOULT: I can't remember. I don't know. I don't think he said that.

Q. More on the same lines, the fact that you had that almost leadership group there in those final throws, are you able to divulge anything you mentioned there? What advice you were giving each other and --
TRENT BOULT: In these tournaments obviously you're doing a lot of talking, a lot of ideas are being bounced around and guys are playing at certain grounds and have different ideas, of course. So in my opinion it's nice to keep it very clear and practise what you preach in terms of what you've been training. And I think Matt's been training yorkers very well. And he looked to go into the wicket there a little bit more.

You just bounce ideas around like that. But I think the clearer you are, it seems to be a little bit easier. And I think it was very clear and he got the result done and that was good.

Q. Who was going to bowl the last over if it went to the 50th?
TRENT BOULT: I don't know. It wasn't me, that's all I know.

Q. There was like for long periods several partnerships and then wickets fell in clutches for both sides. What was it were the conditions or was it just one of those things?
TRENT BOULT: I think one of those things. Like I said, the wicket was not as good as what we thought, I think. But, yeah, maybe one of those grounds where wickets do fall in clumps. But we thought that if we put a lot of pressure on them, expose the one wicket and hopefully the wicket get one or two in a group there.

And it worked nicely in the middle overs but they absorbed a lot of pressure that we put on them for the late 30 overs, early 40s. And it shows you if you take it deep you can put your side in a very good position.

So, yeah, great game, came down to the wire and brilliant to be on the right side.

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