Trent Boult and Najmul Hossain Shanto post-match press conference,New Zealand vs Bangladesh, 11th Match, ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023

New Zealand player Trent Boult and Bangladesh player Najmul Hossain Shanto (English & Bengali) post-match press conference,New Zealand vs Bangladesh, 11th Match, ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023.

New Zealand player Trent Boult

Trent Boult post-match press conference transcript

[Reporter:] Well bowled mate. Three different cities, three different pitches, three convincing victories, can you explain how it's all panned out?

[Trent Boult:] Yeah, it's all happened pretty quickly obviously. It's been a busy schedule but I think I said earlier in an interview in this tournament that the challenge will be moving around the country with the different wickets and conditions that we face but yeah, the guys have been clinical so far and delivered the plans that we've spoken about with the ball and yeah, the batting is going nicely as well. So, understand there's a lot of cricket still to come but it's a good position to be in three from three.

[Reporter:] All the pre-match talk was about the Chennai wicket being low slow and with lots of turn and stuff like that were you bit surprised at the nature of the wicket and did you just adapt to it when you bowled the first ball or was there kind of a preconceived notion before you bowled?

[Trent Boult:] Yeah, I think you can always gauge a wicket by the nets in a way and I thought the nets were very good. It's hot, I thought the wicket was very hard and offered a little bit of pace which is probably not the description you normally take coming here to Chennai but like I said about the plans, the boys had plans in place, be as accurate as we can, try to bowl good balls and manage to take wickets throughout the innings and generally it's a pretty good recipe. So yeah, 250 to chase I thought was a decent score and it was nice to clip that off in the end.

[Reporter:] Last two from me, a word on Kane, it's almost like he never left.

[Trent Boult:] Yeah, no definitely, he's very comfortable out there in the middle and yeah quality knock after six or so months off. Yeah So, I'm sure you enjoyed that and the contributions there by Darrell and Glenn at the end obviously finished it off nicely. So nice to get the points and good to watch.

[Reporter:] Last one, when did Darrell Mitchell decide to hit that first ball for a six? Was it like three or four days before?

[Trent Boult:] At least. He would have been thinking about that a long time and yeah, I'm sure we have that replay on repeat no doubt

[Reporter:] Hey Trent, again a lot of talk about spin and stuff but today the way Lockie bowled was more or less like Wagner bowling with one day restrictions in place. What is the plan behind that, like continuously hitting the deck and bouncing batters out, and they try hitting you out for a six?

[Trent Boult:] Yeah, Lockie plays a huge role for us and a guy that can bowl 150K and has some great skills. It's nice to see him get some reward today. And yeah, he's very clever with his plans. And he likes to attack in the role that he's in. And yeah, hopefully he's going to play a big role for us over the next couple of weeks.

[Reporter:] And like you guys, I believe Chris Donaldson [trainer] and Will Young had a big day out as well. They were right at the edge of the boundary, feeding drinks to you guys, trying to keep you in good shape in this heat. So how hard was it to keep coming in and going at Bangladesh?

[Trent Boult:] Yeah. I don't know what the cameras are showing but I actually struggled with the heat there for a little bit. It was just coming out of the nice air-conditioned changing rooms into Litton Das who was charging me first ball which was pretty exciting. But yeah, Chris plays a big role in getting us bowlers fit, all the support staff and the guys that aren't playing play a big role as well. So, it was a group effort today and I'm looking forward to the next one.

[Reporter:] And lastly from me, at the innings break you spoke about how you sort of gained control over that knuckleball. We actually saw a lot of that in the MLC as well where you got a lot of wickets in the knuckleball. Can you just talk a bit more about how you gained control over that two and a half years or so?

[Trent Boult:] Yeah, practice. The old cliche. Yeah, I touched on with Ather’s at the half-time break that I've been lucky enough to play with some decent bowlers over the years and sharing secrets and asking questions is there's always the way forward but yeah, I think over here on good wickets you have to have a couple of balls up your sleeve that you can go to under pressure and yeah touch wood it's coming out all right, enjoy bowling it.

[Reporter:] And as you said you were a bit surprised but you found it interesting that Litton Das charged on the wicket first ball. Actually, have you seen that I mean before releasing the ball that he's just coming down.

[Trent Boult:] Did I see him do it? No, not really. No, he just, yeah, it all happened very quickly, but I'm pretty sure everyone knows that I like to bowl in swingers and know what I'm trying to do. So yeah, he had a plan today to be aggressive and I was lucky enough to come on the right side of it.

[Reporter:] 200 ODI wickets, can you talk to us about whether that was something that you ever thought you'd get to and what's the feeling like being there?

[Trent Boult:] Yeah, I'm very proud of it. It's, yeah, come with a bit of hard work and, you know, I've always enjoyed one day cricket and there's been days where it's been a lot more successful than others but, yeah, no, very good feeling to tick off 200. It is pretty exciting.

[Reporter:] Trent, you're playing back-to-back matches here in Chennai, and then you have another couple of matches in Dharamsala as well coming up. Do you think that sort of gives you a sort of breathing space in terms of preparing for conditions for games leading up?

[Trent Boult:] Yeah, I think the way the draws panned out for us to be able to settle into the same venue a couple of times is probably a positive.

As I spoke about earlier, those conditions are going to be the big challenges as you move around the country. But yeah, obviously each venue brings a different opposition. Big match again against Afghanistan with some guys that know these conditions very well as well.

So, we'll go away and have a bit of a chat, but understanding those conditions and understanding how to, I suppose, bowl, and take the game deep with the bat is going to be a big thing, so we look forward to that challenge.

[Reporter:] So many of the, I'm sorry for the springboks cap by the way, so many of the New Zealand players have played in Chennai especially for the CSK and that support will always be there but to see so many fans especially the Chennaians to come and support the New Zealand team with the black jerseys on loud cheers - how was that feeling for you?

[Trent Boult:] It's the best part about coming to India to embrace the crowd and you know see the passion and the support behind the game and yeah, some fans out there this afternoon brave the heat and yeah got rewarded with some it's a pretty good cricket I thought so - yeah here's hoping for some big crowds coming up later in the tournament.

[Reporter:] Yeah, with the Rugby World Cup going on, it's at the end of what's been a really interesting tournament to follow. At home, it's at a very different time zone. So then coming to Cricket World Cup, it's mixing all these things. So, what's the message at home for the fans who are following both Rugby and Cricket World Cup? And what are your expectations for the match against Ireland?

[Trent Boult:] Yeah, that's an interesting question. But yeah, the Kiwi sports fans back home will be having some late nights and then and some early mornings as well with the rugby so yeah back the Blackcaps and go the ABs basically but I'm sure it should be a good game against the Irish in a few hours.

[Reporter:] Trent a word on - Was it more of a precaution that he [Kane] retired out or is there something to be really...

[Trent Boult:] I'm not sure to be honest, sorry. Yeah, we saw he got hit on the hand and yeah, we'll watch the space.

[Reporter:] Team New Zealand have always won first three matches in 2015 World Cup and then 2019 World Cup first three matches and once again in 2023 you have won the first three matches. So, England and Netherlands and Bangladesh gave you a real fight. Because we watched all the three matches, which one gave you a real fight out of these three?

England, Netherlands, and Bangladesh?

[Trent Boult:] Which one was the biggest fight?

[Reporter:] Yeah, like the real tough one.

[Trent Boult:] Yeah, they were all tough. That's a tricky question. I won't single out any of them, but yeah two points is hard to come by.

[Reporter:]

You can just talk us about Kane - I mean it seems like he's not been it's not like he's had an injury, a knee surgery, seven months, he scored 100 and 200 in his last two international games, and again, he comes out here, soaks up the pressure, 20 balls, and then he just does what Kane does always. So just talk us about his knock today.

[Trent Boult:] Yeah, great to have him back, first of all, and obviously a key player for us. So yeah, the guy's very comfortable at the crease, very familiar with how he wants to play his cricket. And yeah, you touched on soaking up some pressure at the start to begin with. But yeah, he plays good cricket shots, puts pressure on the bowler and generally that's a pretty good recipe so nice to see him out there getting some runs and playing a role for us.

Bangladesh player Najmul Hossain Shanto

Najmul Hossain Shanto post-match press conference transcript (English & Bengali)

[Reporter:] Can you please tell us a bit about what went wrong? And one more thing is that I want to know that Shakib finished his bowling spell so quickly. So, what was the strategy?

[Najmul Hossain Shanto:] I think we didn't make enough runs. We didn't bat well. We needed an early wicket. The pace bowlers bowled well today. And the reason Shakib bowled first was if we could have picked a few early wickets then we would have had a chance. So, that was the reason behind his early bowling.

[Reporter:] Shanto, as you said the batting was not good in the beginning today. Four wickets fell down within the first 56 runs. What is the reason behind this, have you actually talked among yourself or have you had a conversation with the coaches? It's happening again and again, 9 times in 11 games that 4 wickets fell down below 100 runs. And maybe many times it is seen that the openers start a little better, one maybe starts well, another one doesn't, again many wickets are falling down quickly. Then while trying to recover from there, it is seen that you cannot bat in the last 10 overs like the normal teams do. So, have you done any kind of exercise/plan yourself?

[Najmul Hossain Shanto:] Of course, we plan every day on how we can do better. But what seems the most important thing to me is that we should do batting with more responsibility. Because there will be definitely challenges for the top order with the new ball. That's why we bat at the top order. So it is our responsibility. Everyone knows everyone's role. So, I think if we bat with a little more responsibility. I think the skill doesn't matter here.  But we should bat with a bit more responsibility.

[Reporter:] Shanto, before this World Cup, I thought the batting order was a bit settled. You were batting at number 3 and you were doing pretty well. Hridoy was batting at number 5 and he established himself there quite well. But after the World Cup, it was seen that the batting order is not really going well in any match that who'll bat where. Today Hridoy had to bat at number seven, he doesn't usually bat like that. He actually helps build up the innings. So, What is the reason behind this plan? Why is the batting order changing in every match?

[Najmul Hossain Shanto:] The coach and the captain can tell about this.

[Reporter:] Have you not been given any clear message?

[Najmul Hossain Shanto:] We know who will bat in the matches, and who will bat when. Whoever comes to play in the match, everyone knows when he'll bat. But the reason behind this is something that the captain and coach can clarify.

[Reporter:] Shanto, I mean, the loss is loss, but by the margin you are losing, in the last two matches, there's no fight at all. Where does this take the morale of the team? There are a lot of matches ahead, how difficult is it to come back from this place? Because you are losing by a big margin.

[Najmul Hossain Shanto:] It is possible to come back. Definitely, it is possible to come back. The thing that we are not doing well is batting. If we can give a good total (score) to the bowlers because the wickets are good here. So, it is important that the batsmen take responsibility and give a good total to the bowlers. I think all of our batsmen should bat with responsibility.

[Reporter:] Shanto, there was a lot of talk pre-match about conditions in Chennai being similar to the ones at home in Bangladesh. But were you little surprised with the kind of pitch that was on offer today because it was not what was expected or what was spoken about pre-match?

[Najmul Hossain Shanto:] No, we were not surprised to be very honest but wicket looks very good. I think we didn't bat well so if we score at least 280 - 300 would have been a different ballgame so we didn't bat well.

[Reporter:] The update on Shakib?

[Najmul Hossain Shanto:] He is going for scan. So, after scan, we will know what happened to him.

[Reporter:] Shanto, if you could please give an update on Shakib with his scan?

[Najmul Hossain Shanto:] Shakib has gone for scan. After the scan, we will get to know the update that in what condition he is in.

[Reporter:] Before the World Cup, you were settled in number 3 but suddenly in the World Cup, you're given number 4. How comfortable you are with your own goal?

[Najmul Hossain Shanto:] I am ready to play at any position in the team. I have also scored runs in 4th position, it's not that I didn't score at all. I couldn't make it in two innings. But as I said earlier, it is the decision of the coach and the captain. So I am happy if I am asked to bat in any position. I am ready to bat in that position.

[Reporter:] Shanto, of course, the Coach and Captain will decide on the batting line-up but I just wanted to know that batting at number 3 or a number, like Tawhid Hridoy has batted at number 5 and has scored 500-550 runs and now he is batting at number 7. So, has the role changed a bit and can you adapt to this change very quickly?

[Najmul Hossain Shanto:] Yes, one needs to adjust a bit to be very honest. But I think everyone needs to have such flexibility to bat at any position at any time. And I wouldn't say that it happens all of a sudden, all batsmen know this. I don't think we need to worry about that. We try to bat the way the captain and coach decide.

[Reporter:] Shanto, you're repeatedly saying that the coach and captain can clarify the change. You are the vice-captain and as far as I know that vice-captain is very much a part of the team management. Don't you discuss such a crucial decision?

[Najmul Hossain Shanto:] No, of course, we do. As I said everyone knows who is batting in which position. Everyone knows who is going to bat in which position in today's match. Everyone is aware of this. I think this issue is raised because no one could perform in those positions. But I remember that when Miraz played at number 3 and I played at number 4 position in the Asia Cup and we made a good score against Afghanistan, then there was not much talk about this issue. So, I don't think there is any wrong or right here. I think we batsmen couldn't score runs.

[Reporter:] Actually, it's not about wrong or right, I mean, if you could explain the thoughts behind this. I didn't understand this thought process. We cannot understand who's playing where. Definitely, you know this otherwise you would fall in number 2.

[Najmul Hossain Shanto:] Like for me and Miraz, we thought about making a left and right-hand combination. For the new ball, it'd be a bit problem if both batsmen were left-handed. And we don't have any left-handed batsmen in the lower order. So, we did this thinking about the left hand and right hand for the top order.

[Reporter:] Shanto, Is Bangladesh's dream of playing in the semi-final slowly fading away? Secondly, there is a change in the batting order and this change. How logical do you think it is to do such an experiment in a tournament like the World Cup?

[Najmul Hossain Shanto:] As you said about the semi-final, definitely we will have to play well. If we only think ahead that we want to do this and that, it is more important for us to think how well we are playing. So I think it is important to come back. And I think one good match will change the whole environment. And another question is about the batting order.

[Reporter:] [inaudible] What do you think about the experiment with the batting order in a tournament like World Cup?

[Najmul Hossain Shanto:]  I think especially those who bat in the middle order, especially, in the numbers 4, 5, and 6, have flexibility, everyone has flexibility in those places. Every team has flexibility many times. But if it is not possible, it may be a little convenient for the batsman. But I think every batsman is comfortable here. None has a complaint that I cannot bat if my batting order changes every day. There is no complaint at all.

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