England captain feels the game against New Zealand on Sunday will now be a quarterfinal game for them
Would you say experience was the key in this match?
I don't know, I think the difference was Sangakkara playing outstanding cricket. I think that was the difference. And sometimes you can come up short against a guy who plays as well as that, and you don't feel quite so bad. We've tried a few different things, and the 120, 130, whatever he got bowled out, we didn't get a chance, so nothing we can sit here and say we had our opportunity. That was a very fine hundred.
You looked a bit miffed after the ball change, I think 25 overs. Can you explain why the ball was changed and if you were indeed a bit miffed?
The ball was changed because it was out of shape. That was the umpire's reasoning. Yeah, the umpires make those decisions, so yeah, you have to ‑‑ you have to accept them. Sometimes you don't think they're the right decisions, but there's not much you can do about it.
Before Kumar got going, you obviously had a pretty good score on the ball. Would you say that was the plan working as well as it might?
I think it was about half ‑‑ actually the one guy that struggled with timing today was me, really. If you add another 20 runs on the board, it might have been a different story. Yeah, I struggled a little bit with timing, but 300 wins you a lot of games of cricket. It didn't today because that was a very fine hundred from Sangakkara.
After the guys bowled so well on Saturday how disappointed were you today?
I mean, it's a different wicket. It got better and better as the lights came onto it. I think we knew that was going to happen with the amount of kind of drizzle the last couple days and this morning. But you know, I'm not too disappointed. Clearly we had an opportunity to got up, to get into the semifinals today, and we didn't take it. We've got another one in our next game.
Did you think you had a winning score during the interval and do you think maybe if you could have got 20 more maybe? You lost 20 wickets with no runs, albeit ‑‑
Yeah, I mean, it's amazing how sometimes those little two or three overs can change a game. I think we're pretty satisfied. Clearly now you're going to look and go, well, another 20 runs would have been nice, but as I said, 300 wins you a lot of games of cricket.
Joe Root has had an interesting few days. His performance didn't seem to be adversely affected, certainly in the bat.
No, I think clearly it's been an interesting couple of days for him in terms of he's probably never been the subject of something like this before. I thought the way he handled himself throughout it and the way he played his innings today showed, as we already knew, he's made of the right stuff.
You've done the various permutations and know you need to win a game, I guess?
Yeah, coming into today we had to win one of the two. This opportunity has slipped us by, so we've got to win on Sunday. It's still in our own hands.
Are you aware of forecast for the weekend?
Well, I've just been told the forecast is not great. I'm not sure I'm too trusting in the British forecasts three days out.
With Sunday being must‑win now, does it make it any easier or harder, how well you've known New Zealand having played them so many times over the last few months?
I don't think it makes it any harder or any easier. It's a must‑win game for both sides. If any side wants to be in the semifinals you've got to win the game. It is basically quarterfinals. You've got to win three games to win the Champions Trophy if you want to look at it like that.
I don't know, I think the difference was Sangakkara playing outstanding cricket. I think that was the difference. And sometimes you can come up short against a guy who plays as well as that, and you don't feel quite so bad. We've tried a few different things, and the 120, 130, whatever he got bowled out, we didn't get a chance, so nothing we can sit here and say we had our opportunity. That was a very fine hundred.
You looked a bit miffed after the ball change, I think 25 overs. Can you explain why the ball was changed and if you were indeed a bit miffed?
The ball was changed because it was out of shape. That was the umpire's reasoning. Yeah, the umpires make those decisions, so yeah, you have to ‑‑ you have to accept them. Sometimes you don't think they're the right decisions, but there's not much you can do about it.
Before Kumar got going, you obviously had a pretty good score on the ball. Would you say that was the plan working as well as it might?
I think it was about half ‑‑ actually the one guy that struggled with timing today was me, really. If you add another 20 runs on the board, it might have been a different story. Yeah, I struggled a little bit with timing, but 300 wins you a lot of games of cricket. It didn't today because that was a very fine hundred from Sangakkara.
After the guys bowled so well on Saturday how disappointed were you today?
I mean, it's a different wicket. It got better and better as the lights came onto it. I think we knew that was going to happen with the amount of kind of drizzle the last couple days and this morning. But you know, I'm not too disappointed. Clearly we had an opportunity to got up, to get into the semifinals today, and we didn't take it. We've got another one in our next game.
Did you think you had a winning score during the interval and do you think maybe if you could have got 20 more maybe? You lost 20 wickets with no runs, albeit ‑‑
Yeah, I mean, it's amazing how sometimes those little two or three overs can change a game. I think we're pretty satisfied. Clearly now you're going to look and go, well, another 20 runs would have been nice, but as I said, 300 wins you a lot of games of cricket.
Joe Root has had an interesting few days. His performance didn't seem to be adversely affected, certainly in the bat.
No, I think clearly it's been an interesting couple of days for him in terms of he's probably never been the subject of something like this before. I thought the way he handled himself throughout it and the way he played his innings today showed, as we already knew, he's made of the right stuff.
You've done the various permutations and know you need to win a game, I guess?
Yeah, coming into today we had to win one of the two. This opportunity has slipped us by, so we've got to win on Sunday. It's still in our own hands.
Are you aware of forecast for the weekend?
Well, I've just been told the forecast is not great. I'm not sure I'm too trusting in the British forecasts three days out.
With Sunday being must‑win now, does it make it any easier or harder, how well you've known New Zealand having played them so many times over the last few months?
I don't think it makes it any harder or any easier. It's a must‑win game for both sides. If any side wants to be in the semifinals you've got to win the game. It is basically quarterfinals. You've got to win three games to win the Champions Trophy if you want to look at it like that.
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