World Cup 2019: New Zealand didn’t lose the final, reckons Kane Williamson

New Zealand played their second consecutive World Cup at the Lord’s. After the defeat to Australia in 2015, the Black Caps ran England close in 2019. However, in the end, the Kiwis couldn’t get over the line at the iconic venue. The game was tied in the 100 overs with both teams, scoring 241 each. The humdinger of the contest went into the one-over eliminator, which again got tied.

Martin Guptill couldn’t complete the second run at the striker’s end. The Three Lions, led by Eoin Morgan, were crowned as the champions on account of hitting more boundaries than their opponent. However, Kane Williamson, the New Zealand skipper, believed that neither his team lose the final, nor the Brits. Going by the format, there could only be one winner of the mega event.

“At the end of the day nothing separated us, no one lost the final, but there was a crowned winner and there it is,” Williamson was quoted as saying in Newstalk ZB. Kane was New Zealand’s leading run-scorer in the tournament with 578 runs in 10 matches with two tons and as many half-centuries.

We all try and play by the rules: Williamson

After a gruelling battle between bat and ball at the Home of Cricket, Kane mentioned that it was pretty tough to get their head around — He thinks it will take time to reflect with a rational mind. A late umpiring error off an overthrow didn’t help the Kiwis cause either.

The Black Caps won five out of their nine games, losing three in the first round. After losing their last three league games, Williamson & Co. rolled over India in the semis at the Old Trafford in Manchester. The captain talked about how his side had to adjust as per the conditions and how their approach almost took them through. He didn’t complain about the extra run given to England off the overthrow.

“It was a really good effort to get knockout stages. We were forced to play a style of game because of the conditions and adopted that really well. We thought it took us all the way but it was not to be. The rules are the rules and we all try and play by them as did England who also had a very good campaign,” a dejected, but proud Williamson added.