Cricket: Black Caps contenders from CD Stags declare the code outright winners at world cup

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson and his troops' faces say it all but the CD Stags reckon the Black Caps will reflect on their accomplishments with pride over time. Photo/AP

Some Blacks Caps in waiting and those who missed the cull to the ICC World Cup from Central Districts believe it is a bitter-sweet ending for captain Kane Williamson and his troops but the knife-edge finish makes cricket the outright winner despite England becoming the 2019 champions in London this morning.

However, the Stags and their custodians feel changing the rules to enable both countries, who had never won the crown before today, will be straying from the tenets of the game and it's not a proposition that will go down too well in a cauldron that demands an outright winner.

"It was obviously very close but an outstanding finish," said Doug Bracewell who fell asleep about 35 overs into the match but awoke in time to see the scramble for the finish line in the last five overs and the super overs of the final at the Lord's.

"It was sort of an unbelievable finish for a final so it had a little bit of everything which involved a bit of drama and certainly exciting to watch," said Bracewell, of Napier, who had missed the final cut on the cup team.

The 28-year-old right-arm seamer said he would have loved to have been at Lord's but "it was a bummer we couldn't quite get over the line".

Bracewell said it was a game but "still a hell of an effort from the lads".

"You know, everyone's pretty proud of what they have achieved," said the You Travel Taradale CC premier cricketer who is training with the greater Black Caps squad members at Lincoln, near Christchurch.

One-match Twenty20 international Blair Tickner said the Kiwis couldn't be too bitter about it considering few gave them much chance to make the playoffs, let alone come precariously close to doing the unthinkable.

Doug Bracewell says everyone is proud of the Black Caps after their unbelievable finish in the agonising loss to England in the final this morning. Photo/file

"We probably didn't get enough runs ... and we were probably pretty much unlucky throughout the game I thought so we'll just have to do it another time," said Tickner, of Hastings.

The 25-year-old right-arm, medium/fast bowler, who has a propensity to give batsmen a tickle around the ribs, in the manner of rookie opening bowler Jofra Archer, said it would be an interesting next four years for him to see where he would be with his processes.

"I think a few of us CD boys will be hoping to be in the frame to put our hand up in four years time."

The Ruahine Motors Central Hawke's Bay CC premier club cricketer said amid the disappointment of the loss it would be difficult to amend rules to share spoils although had the Kiwis found themselves in England's shoes they wouldn't have entertained thoughts of grabbing a trophy handle each on the podium.

If anything, Tickner said a clinical team wouldn't have allowed a game to meander to an eliminator-over phase.

"I think both teams had the opportunity to win it a few times and they didn't take it earlier but did well to keep each other in the fight with ebbs and flows with New Zealand will win and, oh, England might win.

"For me as a professional cricketer I couldn't see which way it was going to go so it was an exciting game of cricket, really."

Tickner said to step up to the ultimate stage players of his ilk had to fancy themselves to deliver, agreeing he and Archer have different actions but are similar in hitting the deck with venom.

CD high performance manager Lance Hamilton was in a mournful mood for Williamson and his men, with the ups and downs and missed opportunities to put away the Poms.

"I suppose you just can't give a team like England those sorts of chances in a final because, at times, they were feeling the pressure as well so at the end I was just sad for the players because I know how much it would have meant to them and what a lot of them would have gone through the last World Cup to get there," said Hamilton.

"As a fan it was a great spectacle but also knowing what the players have gone through and to get that opportunity I was sad."

He was part of a CD contingent on the cup tour, including CD CEO Pete de Wet as well as life members and supporters, who watched four round-robin matches before returning home.

CD seamer Blair Tickner says the Black Caps were pretty unlucky at times in the final but they'll just have to get across the line another time. Photo/file

However he had watched every minute of the final today and hadn't slept a wink.

"I took the day off work so I had done a deal with the kids not to wake me up this morning so I managed to sleep from 7 until 9.30," said the 46-year-old former New Zealand and Stag seamer from Napier after he returned with the CD tour party following the "unreal" Pakistan game with their legion of supporters at Edgbaston on June 26. CD four-day skipper Greg Hay, international Tom Bruce and batsman Ben Smith had joined them as fans.

"There were so many Englishmen cheering for the West Indies in the game against us as well."

Hamilton said there were so many turning points in the final that could be revisited in a post mortem but fans would isolate one or two to try to define the match.

"Everyone will be focusing on that four runs deflected off the bat but there are so many little things that happened like one run here and one there which is the winning and losing of the world cup and then to tie the game twice ... is not a nice place to be."

He said the super overs were part of the rules and the Kiwis came up shy but the Black Caps had conducted themselves superbly throughout the cup.

"We had a few speed bumps but, to be fair, the way we had knuckled down and guts our way through the back end of the tournament to beat India when no one gave us a chance and, again, going into the finals as massive underdogs to be part of a game that'll be talked about as the final is a testament to the character of this side and how far they've come."

Lance Hamilton (left), working in the nets with George Worker, says several CD Stags cricketers should come into the Black Caps equation this summer. Photo/file

Hamilton said a great leadership group had emerged with Williamson leaning on CD veteran Ross Taylor and wicketkeeper Tom Latham to help him make decisions.

"You know, Kane's the guy with the 'c' net to his name but you can tell they have a group approach to decisions they were making which was pretty proud to have achieved what we did but at the same time to get so close we'll never know when our next opportunity will come again."

He said it would take some time but the hurting Black Caps would reflect with pride on their accomplishments.

"Each one of them will relive so many moments of their game where they could have saved a run here or scored one there ... "

Hamilton agreed the likes of Bracewell, Tickner, William Young, George Worker, Bruce, Ajaz Patel would come into the equation with some retirements.

"We've got plenty of guys coming through that will be hungry for opportunities this [summer] so we've managed to keep our squad together, which is amazing considering the [number] of approaches they've had from outside the area."