By Avishek Roy, IANS,
Colombo : New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori attributed the loss of too many wickets in the last 10 overs for their five-wicket World Cup semifinal defeat against Sri Lanka here Tuesday.
The Black Caps were nicely placed at 161 for 4 in 39 overs but they lost quick wickets to fold up for 217 in 48.5 overs.
“We lost too many wickets in the last 10 overs. We were not able to establish partnerships and kept losing wickets at regular intervals,” said Vettori, who confirmed that he will be stepping down as captain from all forms of the game.
“It has been a hard and disappointing loss in the end. We are proud of what we have achieved. There were some outstanding performances like those of Tim Southee and Ross Taylor in the tournament.”
“We have been an outstanding fielding side all through the tournament. In bowling, we were looking for early wickets but that did not happen. We got some wickets in the middle and we looked to put them under pressure. If we had got one wicket, the lower-order would have come. We fought hard but it wasn’t enough today.”
Vettori reckoned that the conditions at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium will suit Sri Lanka in the April 2 final against India or Pakistan, who play their semifinal in Mohali Wednesday.
“They will be tough to beat in Mumbai. It is going to be a day-night affair and the pitch will suit them. We lost to them badly there. Their bowling attack is very effective,” said Vettori.