After the euphoria of getting over the Semi Final hurdle in spectacular fashion, the BLACKCAPS were on a plane the next day to prepare to face Australia or India on Sunday.
Making this trip is the result of years of planning for Mike Hesson, Brendon McCullum and team management. While the ‘one game at a time’ philosophy has resulted in eight wins on the bounce, they’re determined to stop and smell the Semi Final roses.
“We stuck around after the win and guys gave their thoughts, making the final is obviously a really special time for everyone involved, we are all cricket lovers, we’ve been involved in the game for a very long time, loved it since we were kids, so there’s a huge amount of pride in what we’ve done and we’re really proud to be part of the team that’s made the final of the World Cup, said Mike Hesson.
“You always plan for ultimate success, it doesn’t always happen but you have to paint that dream I guess. When you’re in the battle you just try and let go and the game evolves as it evolves I guess, you pour your heart and soul into it and hopefully come out on the right side. The Semi Final was one of those occasions where we left nothing out there, and we saw a brilliant game of cricket,” said Brendon McCullum.
“We’ve got a chance to put on a good show and we’ll certainly prepare for that, but we also realise that we’ve achieved something pretty special,” said Mike Hesson.
The 1992 side’s tearful walk around the Eden Park boundary is one of the iconic images of that campaign, and a complete contrast to the scenes of joy and relief on Tuesday night. Hesson is well aware of the history and proud of his team putting themselves that elusive step further.
“I don’t think we take the mantle of the ’92 side, the fact we’ve made six Semi Finals – just getting there in 2003 was a great effort, like 2007, ’99, there’s a lot of good sides had made Semi Finals and we’ve played well, won eight in a row but if you lose a Semi Final… it was pretty important for us to get over the line,” said Hesson.
The BLACKCAPS say goodbye to home advantage now. While many of the team haven’t played at the cavernous MCG before, it won’t come as a complete surprise, thanks to a trip late last year.
“We did a recce to Melbourne back in October with the hope that we’d be there at some stage. Everyone was there except for Grant actually, he mentioned that to me that he didn’t make the twenty for that trip, but obviously he’s played a pretty integral part to get us back there,” said Hesson.
After a travel day on Wednesday, the BLACKCAPS will had a day acclimatising in Melbourne today, before getting into their training routines on Friday. They’ll be watching the second Semi Final at the team hotel tonight to find out who they’re up against.
