New Delhi, March 5 – Cole McConchie, the late addition to the New Zealand squad, had a memorable night in Kolkata during the semi-final clash as the Kiwis defeated South Africa to become the first finalists of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The fast-bowler said that the weeks since his call-up to the side have been "incredible," expressing his excitement at the opportunity.
McConchie, along with Rachin Ravindra, delivered crucial blows to the Proteas’ top order, restricting their scoring opportunities and setting up a commanding position for New Zealand. He replaced Michael Bracewell after an unfortunate injury and played a pivotal role in their semi-final victory over South Africa, and the Black Caps will now play the tournament’s summit clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Reflecting on his sudden call-up, McConchie told New Zealand Cricket, “Yeah, it's been a pretty incredible couple of weeks. I was preparing for a four-match series in Invercargill, and I was actually studying in my room the night before the game, and then I got a text from Gavin Larson, the selector, to give me a call. So I called him, and obviously, I got the news that Michael Bracewell was out due to injury.”
On the excitement of joining the squad and traveling to India, he said, “But yeah, it's been amazing to get that call and to be here. It's exciting to be part of the World Cup final and everything that it brings.”
McConchie described the challenge of bowling in the powerplay with limited preparation. “Yeah, it was a bit challenging. I wasn’t really prepared to bowl early in the powerplay, especially with a couple of left-handed batsmen. I only found out that I was playing just before the warm-up, so I didn’t have much time to prepare.”
“But I always try to be prepared, and Sats and Rob (coaches) said that if I was going to play, they expected me to bowl some good overs up front. Thankfully, it went according to plan, and we got things started nicely. But, of course, it was a great team performance,” he added.
He spoke about adapting to the pitch conditions, saying, “I think the key is to bowl my best ball on that surface. I tried to get some spin and bounce out of the pitch.”
“But yeah, I was definitely excited, especially after getting those two wickets. Those two had been performing well throughout the tournament. So, it was great,” he added.
Reflecting on New Zealand’s overall performance against a strong South African batting line-up, McConchie stated, “Yeah, it was a really good batting wicket. I think the way we started in the powerplay and were able to restrict the scoring, especially up to the 13th and 14th overs. And it’s funny, but it was also nice that they managed to get a few wickets in the middle order towards the end.”
“It showed the strength of the batting wicket. And the way that Tim and Finn came out after that and just put on an absolute clinic. It was great to watch,” he added.
On the emotions of a World Cup semifinal, he stated, “It was an amazing experience. Obviously, there were some nerves, but after the powerplay, I think we put those nerves aside.”
“The way that those two batsmen struck the ball was incredible. And, of course, Finn got the credit at the end. Some amazing hitting, world-class striking,” he concluded.
McConchie praised his teammate Finn Allen’s consistency, who went on to score the fastest T20 World Cup century on Wednesday, saying, “He’s been doing it for a long time. And to do it on such a big stage is incredible for him. And I know everyone is really proud of him. Yeah, it was nice to connect with him as a group last night. And we all enjoyed the win.”
Looking ahead to the final, he remained focused yet grounded. “I'm sure things will just ramp up towards the final on Sunday. But as always, we Kiwis take things in our stride. And we'll enjoy the moment as we can. Because it's pretty special to be heading into a World Cup final. And I'm sure it's going to be a great few days leading into it,” he concluded.
