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✪ Attending a live press conference after nearly a year and a half and interesting answers to queries about the match
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Senior cricket writer & analyst
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The Covid-19 pandemic had put an end to all live post-match press conferences. So it was a long gap that I attended one at the Abu Dhabi Zayed Cricket Stadium on Monday, and it turned out to be an interesting one.
Curtis Campher at the press conference. Photo: ICC
Today I hardly remember when was it I had last attended a face-to-face post-match press conference. During the Covid pandemic, it was done through zoom and one hardly felt the excitement of being there and asking questions directly. So it was pleasing to be able to attend both post-match press conferences at the Abu Dhabi Zayed Cricket Stadium on Monday (October 18).
It wasn’t held at the usual press conference hall inside the stadium but in a special tent located adjacent to the pavilion making it easy for the players who are in the bubble to reach there. Ketaki Golatkar and Rajashekhar Rao from the ICC ensured that journalists on zoom as well as those present in the hall could ask questions.
Campher on how he bowled the hat-trick ball
When Ireland pacer Curtis Campher was asked about how his spell of four wickets off four successive deliveries, his response on how he prepared himself to bowl the hat-trick ball was exciting. He said: “My heart was racing high, but I just took a few deep breaths at the top of my run and tried to make sure I managed my skills.” “Any time you get an opportunity to take a wicket in international cricket, it’s a real privilege,” he added.
Netherlands’ Max O’Dowd. Photo: ICC
Sporting Max and his spirit
When I asked Netherlands’ opening batsman Max O’Dowd, who hit a fighting 51 in his team’s total of 106 all out, whether his team had failed due to their inability to adapt to the wicket or Curtis Campher’s deadly spell, Max’s sporting spirit was evident in his reply: “I think it was a mixture, to be honest. You can’t take away from Curtis. I think he put it on the spot and made us play shots. That wicket required straight shots, and you can’t be playing across the line, I think. I don’t think we adapted quickly enough. Again, if you lose four wickets in four balls, it’s going to be tough no matter what happens. Yeah, fair play, they bowled extremely well.”
Namibia’s Craig Williams. Photo: ICC
Need of strike rotation to win matches
Namibia’s Craig Williams represented his team for the second match post-match press conference. When he was asked about how to bat on wickets like the one in Abu Dhabi, and what should be the way forward, his remark was spot on, especially on strike rotation. “From a batting perspective, your strike rotation has got to be on par. I think the Sri Lankans did really well. When it was a good bowl, they played soft hands, and when they got a strike they kept rotating. When wickets are like this, a bit lower, bit slower, you’ve got to keep rotating. And you’ve got to be able to spin well. What was disappointing for us was that although we sweep really well, we lost three wickets tonight with the sweep. I attribute that to poor technique, just not low enough hands, and poor position. So that’s something disappointing from the batting side of things.”
Sri Lanka’s Bhanuka Rajapaksa. Photo: ICC
Sri Lanka admits the need to improve
When Sri Lanka’s Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who top-scored with an unbeaten 42, came for the press conference, he was asked whether his team was happy with the victory and whether there were areas they needed to improve. He candidly admitted that there were many areas that needed improvement. “I think it’s always a learning curve for any team, for any individual. We can’t be happy with our performance today because I’m sure we have many more areas to improve.”.
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