Kane Williamson downplayed the talk surrounding the ‘pitch swap controversy,’ acknowledging that the India vs New Zealand World Cup semi-final took place on a previously used surface.
Just before the commencement of the Cricket World Cup 2023 semi-final between India and New Zealand, a controversy emerged, accusing the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) of last-minute pitch alteration. Speculations arose suggesting that India orchestrated the change to gain a slight advantage. When questioned about this matter during the post-match press conference, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson played down the discussions.
In the press briefing, Williamson conceded that the wicket was indeed used but emphasized that it was in good condition, and consequently, New Zealand had no objections.
Kane Williamson exclusively said to a reporter: No, I mean, yeah it was a used wicket, but a pretty good surface really, as we saw. I mean, they got plenty out of it in the first half of the match. And conditions, I guess they change as they go under lights and things, and that’s what we’ve seen throughout this competition. That’s fine, that’s what you expect and they played really well. So yeah, I mean it’s disappointing to get to this stage and not go further, but also at the same time you sort of reflect on the seven weeks rather than a couple of small moments and we lost to a better side,
Williamson praised India as ‘the top team globally,’ expressing confidence that they will approach the final with a strong belief in their abilities.
“They’re the best team in the world and they’re all playing their best cricket, so that’s tough. And I think we see in cricket – often it’s surrounded with failure and how you deal with it. The way they’ve played throughout this tournament has been incredible.
They haven’t missed a beat really and to come into a semi-final, you go through your round-robin and you try and get to the stage and it starts again but the way they came out and played, yeah, shows the mindset that they have and the space that they’re in and I’ve got no doubt they’ll go into that next match full of confidence “
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