Grant Elliott: I felt sorry for Dale Steyn and South Africa
One of the most endearing images of the 2015 World Cup has been that of New Zealand batsman Grant Elliott providing South Africa’s premier fast bowler Dale Steyn a helping hand after pulling off a thrilling win, courtesy a six off the 31-year-old pacer that paved the way for the Blackcaps to progress through to their maiden World Cup final.
Talking about the gesture after the game, the 36-year-old said that he felt sorry for Steyn and added that the game could have swung either way towards the end.
"I felt quite sorry for him, quite sorry for the South African guys for losing the game. It could have been us, it could have been me sitting there having missed the last two balls, and I would have been pretty gutted as well, along with 40,000 people in the stadium.
“I just felt a bit of compassion. It means a lot to them. They've never made a final, and we wanted it just as much as they did,” he said.
Elliott, who was born in South Africa, also explained that he has always played the game in the right spirit and that is just a representation of who he is as a person.
"You have to feel compassion - humble in victory, and humble in defeat. It's just part of me I guess. It's who I am,” he added.
The right-handed batsman played a decisive knock, remaining unbeaten on 84 from just 73 balls to guide the Kiwis to a memorable win. With 5 runs needed from 2 balls, he smashed Steyn for a six over the long-on boundary to spark off wild celebrations in Auckland and other parts of New Zealand.