Sport | Cricket
Fleming finally shows his emotions
New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming is rarely seen expressing his emotions. On Tuesday, he broke the world record for captaining the most number of matches as well as the record for the maximum number of runs scored as a captain.
- By K.R. Nayar, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:35 May 3, 2009
- Image Credit: AP
- New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming (second left) and Kyle Mills celebrate their victory over Pakistan in Mohali, India.
Mohali: New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming is rarely seen expressing his emotions. On Tuesday, he broke the world record for captaining the most number of matches as well as the record for the maximum number of runs scored as a captain, capping it with a match-winning performance. There was a small but constant smile on his face when he spoke about his feat and how special it had been for him.
Gulf News: It must have a great day for you.
Fleming: Frankly, I could not have asked for anything more. It is great to win in this One-day which has been special for me.
Was it a good toss to lose?
No. I would have also bowled had we won the toss. The ball was doing a lot during the first 20 overs.
Did the dew affect your team given the fact that the field had been sprayed?
It was still pretty wet. We did our best to keep the ball dry and Daniel Vettori bowled brilliantly under the conditions even though the ball was getting wet.
You must be pleased with your own knock?
The first 25 overs were tough. It was just a matter of survival during that phase. I am glad that I survived that phase and could finally put up a good score.
Which country would you now prefer to play in the semifinals?
One thing is sure that whoever we will face in the semifinal will be a strong side. So what is important is we play well on that particular day.
How do you rate Scott Styris' innings? How is his back injury? Any relapses?
Styris played a timely knock. His back has stiffened up a bit but we will have to wait and see how he progresses.
Did you at any stage feel the game slipping away?
Pakistan are an unpredictable side. We were delighted as we badly needed something to happen.
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