Cricket World Cup: Coach Mike Hesson full of emotion and pride

Black Caps coach Mike Hesson, left, embraces Grant Elliott after the end of the ICC Cricket World Cup semi-final. Photo / NZ Herald / Jason Oxenham

Black Caps coach Mike Hesson says the team shared some emotional words with each other and the Proteas in the changing room following the big semifinal.

"It was pretty loud initially. Just a lot of excitement. After that just sitting down and reflecting."

The South African team came in to the Black Caps' dressing room about half an hour after the game, Hesson said.

"It was a heck of a game of cricket and I think we realised it could have gone either way.

"The guys have got a fair bit of humility there and empathy towards the South Africans and how well they played."

He said he had a "whole heap of emotion and a whole heap of pride" watching the team win the game.

Hesson revealed the team management was split between the box and down by the field at the end of the game and too nervous to miss the big moment to move between.

He said he leapt from his seat and hugged everyone in sight when Grant Elliott took the six to win the game.

Hesson said he imagined Elliott might have been going for a four off the penultimate ball.

"I thought he might have hit it to the offside actually.

"I couldn't have wished for a calmer bloke."

He said some of the players received hundreds of messages on their phones after the game.

Image 1 of 34: Blacks Caps in a huddle before their semifinal against South Africa at Eden Park. Photo / Brett Phibbs

"For people just to be excited to be able to support the Black Caps and proud to be a Kiwi, it's great."

Hesson said he never doubted the team could take the victory, especially after captain Brendon McCullum's batting display to start the innings.

"There were a lot of times I thought we were behind the eight-ball ... The fact that we got 70 off the first five overs got us ahead of the game so we could bat properly."

Hesson said Daniel Vettori, who could be nearing the end of his international career, was emotional after the game.

McCullum told media this was potentially Vettori's last game on home soil.

"To be out there at the end and be as instrumental and calm as he was under pressure, I couldn't think of two better blokes to have out there at the wily old age of 36.

"You can't buy that sort of experience."

McCullum said Vettori was an "outstanding contributor" to the team.

He said Vettori would be a big factor in the Black Caps team at the final in Melbourne.

"He's a guy who has been around half his life playing for New Zealand, it will be a great way to be able to potentially send him off."

McCullum said when Elliott hit the winning six it was "without a doubt" the best feeling he's ever had on the cricket field.

"We've had many people congratulating us today and saying it's the single greatest sporting event they've ever been to," he said.

McCullum said the team were taking today to acknowledge what they achieved last night and would look ahead to Sunday's final tomorrow.

"When you achieve something as special as what we have done you don't want to park it too quickly.

"You want to allow yourself to stop ... and identify how good you've been along the way and what's been the catalyst to your success."

McCullum said the rain break helped the Black Caps' victory, and the team acknowledged how well the South African team had played.

"No one would dispute how good they've been throughout this tournament, we had to play exceptionally well to beat them and even then it was only a small margin."

The Black Caps fly to Melbourne this afternoon, where they will begin preparations for the biggest match of their lives.

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