New Zealand coach Mike Hesson has not really slept since his side’s semi-final win over South Africa on Tuesday while skipper Brendon McCullum wants to “stop and smell the roses” before the co-hosts turn their attention to the cricket World Cup final.
The Kiwis sealed their place in Sunday’s final in Melbourne when Grant Elliott hit a six off Dale Steyn to clinch a four-wicket victory over the South Africans.
The win ended a run of six defeats in the last four ODIs for New Zealand and put them in their first World Cup final.
“I think today it is still about letting it sink in,” Brendon McCullum told reporters at the team hotel. “When you achieve something as special as we have done you don’t want to park it too quickly.” He continued,
You have got to allow yourself the opportunity to stop and smell the roses. Today is about enjoying that. Tomorrow we will turn our attention to the final.
- Brendon McCullum
New Zealand coach Mike Hesson said he had not really slept after the side returned to the hotel from Eden Park, where they shared a few drinks with the South Africans before doing the same with family and friends.
We got back to the hotel pretty late and I was pretty wired. There were obviously a lot of emotions throughout.
- Mike Hesson
“I never thought we would get over the line until we saw the ball disappearing. I don’t even know where it landed. I just jumped up.”
“You have got a group of guys that did everything for each other. To put in a performance like that last night, with a crowd like that, it was very special.”
The team will now travel to Melbourne, where they will face either India or Australia in the biggest match of their careers on Sunday.
Hesson said they would not treat the final any differently from the 10 successive games they have now won, eight of which have come at the World Cup.
“We will prepare as best as we can once we find out who we are playing and we will put on a really good performance.”
- Mike Hesson
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