It ended with sombre embraces in the middle of the Melbourne Cricket Ground, but falling well short in the World Cup final hasn’t changed New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum’s opinion.
“It was a helluva ride.”
While Australia were soaking up the adulation of the 93,000-strong crowd, McCullum and his men were left to reflect on a performance below the standards set in winning their eight previous games.
They were joined later in the dressing room by Prime Minister John Key and ailing former captain Martin Crowe, who both asked the team to consider the bigger picture.
McCullum’s men had captured New Zealand’s imagination on their way to a first final.
He was adamant his team hadn’t suffered stage fright as Australia marched to a fifth world title.
“It would have been great to get the silverware, but I think what we’ve been able to achieve will last for a long time,” McCullum said.
“It’s never nice running second but sometimes you have to doff your cap to the winner.
“They were too good. On the occasion, they delivered.”
McCullum’s first-over dismissal for a duck was a blow from which they never recovered.
He felt they were in the game when Grant Elliott (83) and Ross Taylor (40) took New Zealand to 3-150 before Australia’s lethal pace attack ran through them for 183.
Luck didn’t go their way in the field, as retiring Australian skipper Michael Clarke (74) and captain-in-waiting Steven Smith (56no) helped to end a one-sided contest in the 34th over.
McCullum had no option but to attack, a method he says had served them well for the last six weeks, but was trumped by quality opposition.
He is adamant they must persist with that assertive approach if they are to remain a top-level force in one-day internationals.
“There’s an element of fearlessness about how we play which has an affect on other teams.
“If you ask most of the teams in this tournament what they think of how we played the game, they would be very respectful of how we’ve gone about it.”
The team return home on Tuesday and a formal event to mark their achievement is planned for Auckland later that day.
McCullum says the support of New Zealand’s public and the boost to cricket is his greatest personal reward.
There is also something more tangible to store away. The New Zealand players will each receive about $NZ200,000 ($A193,948) in prize money.
JohnD
Guest
Never been so close to barracking against my own country in any sport as I was in the final. Brendon McCullum all class. Is he around for the next one? Please let there be more Australia/NZ test and other format series in the future.
Doctor Rotcod
Guest
Shot up to fourth in ICC ODI rankings, behind Australia South Africa and India pipping Sri Lanka and 5th in Test rankings, behind South Africa Australia England! and Pakistan Nicely done Is there a series name for New Zealand versus England? I'd back the Kiwis to win it Nicely of course
Gazzatron
Guest
Well said Riccardo!!
Riccardo
Guest
We fell at the last hurdle but it would be foolhardy not to acknowledge the superiority of an excellent Australian side on the day. It's interesting to note that despite Guptill's huge score and accumulated runs, Sanga's 4 centuries on the trot and the 400+ scores that this tournament has not been decided by the blade but by the ball. Both the finalists had good attacks but Starc, Johnson and Faulkner for the Australians were just superb. What the Black caps and us fans can take away though is that we have arrived on the big stage. It's official. This team has been quietly building for the last couple of seasons, having been completely revamped when McCullum took over the Captaincy, everything from cultural values to game-plans. We are climbing through the rankings across all formats, making our case for prolonged Test series against the big nations and I'm pretty sure there isn't a short-form team in the world that won't take us seriously. NZ Cricket is finally back on the dance card and it's a great time to be a fan.