Dominic George: Black Caps stay true to their roots

South African-born Grant Elliott is cut from the same cloth as the rest of his Kiwi brothers.

I come from a Catholic family so there're kids and siblings everywhere. There's Mikey, Ricky, Danny, Terry, Danny, Timmy, Tommy, Joey, Robbie, Johnny and Abdul.

Just kidding; it just reminded me of that scene in Good Will Hunting where Matt Damon lies about how many brothers he has. He didn't have any, he just made it all up to cope with some sort of abandonment issue apparently.

Anyway, one of my actual younger brothers decided a few months ago to get among it all and soak up the Cricket World Cup. He studied the draw and decided on New Zealand vs Australia at Eden Park and the first semifinal at the same ground. Smart-arse.

For his efforts, he was rewarded with being witness to two of the most extraordinary sporting events in the history of this country. That's not an exaggeration either.

I wouldn't go quite as far as the Otago Daily Times which declared Tuesday's match the "Greatest Game Ever Played". Maybe it was for some Kiwi fans, who knows. Whatever the case, it was a rip-snorter and deserves to be up there with the likes of the 2011 Rugby World Cup final, the Road to Spain and the Golden Hour in Rome in 1960.

But what has struck me and many others during this World Cup, and in the preceding months, is the manner in which the Black Caps conduct themselves on and off the field.

There was a great moment after the game that was picked up on by Fox Sports Australia where the hero of the day, Grant Elliott, halted his celebrations to console a devastated Dale Steyn after he hit the winning runs off him.

This typifies the way in which this New Zealand side approach their cricket. They play hard but fair.

There's no undue bravado, no hubris or pomposity; just a dogged determination laced with unflappable conviction.

The credit for this must go to Mike Hesson and Brendon McCullum and the way in which the coach and captain have managed to get all involved to buy into the philosophy, notwithstanding the tumultuous circumstances that brought them into those particular roles in the first place. The two Dunedin boys set about the task of creating a blueprint for one-day success that, through their implementation of it, will become the blueprint for the way the game is played from now on.

That's almost a greater legacy than if they were to win the entire tournament.

It's built on aggression but not the kind of aggression where you tell a tail-ender your quicks are going to break his f*#^n' arm.

Opening bowler Tim Southee is a classic case in point. He used to pepper batsmen with verbal tirades even when he was getting carted to all parts of the ground; now he peppers batsmen with quality pace bowling and barely opens his mouth. It's far more dignified than the antics we've seen from the likes of Australia in recent times. What's more, it's proving to be effective. There's no better way to fashion a core of disciples than to prove the madness of your method.

The Black Caps personify all the traits we admire about our sporting heroes.

Dick Tayler and I were discussing this point during the week on the Farming Show, throwing in names like Richie McCaw and Tom Walsh as recent examples. As Dick alluded to, it all stems from our roots as a predominantly agricultural country.

It was a simple case of head down, bum up, work hard, show initiative, be successful yet humble and, importantly, enjoy it.

That's the sort of attitude that's forged this little nation of ours and one that's worked for many of our sporting heroes, the Black Caps now emphatically included. And despite the fact it was a South African native who put the final nail in the coffin of his former countrymen's World Cup hopes, there's no doubt the Hairy Javelin is cut from the same cloth as the rest of his brothers in the New Zealand cricket family: Baz, Guppy, Rossco, Boulty, Wonky Donkey et al.