Had it not been for the lost day, we would've had a cracking finish: Kane Williamson
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has said that their first Test against England at Lord's would have had a cracking finish had an entire day's play not been lost due to inclement weather.
Kane Willamson tried to make the game interesting with a sporting declaration, but Dominic Sibley's fighting knock ensured the hosts salvaged a comfortable draw. Chasing 272 runs for a win, Joe Root's men ended at 170/3, with Sibley unbeaten on 60 from 207 deliveries.
Speaking at the end of the game, Kane Williamson said he was happy with how his side had performed, especially debutant Devon Conway and pacer Tim Southee.
"Obviously we had a little bit of work to do before declaration," Kane Williamson said. "The guys came out and hit hard and the weather forced the declaration a little bit. The wicket was deteriorating, and had it not been for that lost day, we would've had a cracking finish," Kane Williamson said.
"Scoring was reasonably slow throughout the day, and all in all, with only four days, some fantastic cricket was played. Incredibly special performance from Conway. A special player, he's come into the side and shown his class. He played within himself, he's a brilliant player and it is an incredible feat. Incredible contribution from Tim Southee as well. He led the attack brilliantly and the guys around him contributed as well. Both teams could have done with an additional day and pushed their case further. Boult is here and he should be bowling pretty soon," Kane Williamson added.
I am not sure about Ollie Robinson's selection in the next Test: Joe Root
England banked on Rory Burns' hard-fought century to post 275 runs in reply to Kane Williamson & Co's first innings total of 378, including Conway's double century. Beginning their second innings with a 103-run lead, the Black Caps accelerated on the morning of the last day to set up a competitive total for England to chase. But the lack of time meant both Kane Willamson and Joe Root agreed to settled for a draw under the fading light.
Speaking about why England didn't go for the run chase, Joe Root stressed that the wicket was tricky to bat and also felt that they didn't have enough overs to pull off a heist.
"We tried to lay a platform at the start, but unfortunately didn't materialize the way we would have liked. It would have been easy to go hard early today, but it was a tricky wicket. We felt we didn't have enough overs to go for it. It was about the conditions more than the talent in the dressing room. Once that decision was made to close the day out and play for a draw, we had to make sure we weren't silly as batters," Joe Root said.
It was an easy decision to leave out a spinner when you have such a great battery of fast bowlers. They did a fantastic job. Rory did a fantastic job. The way he played was phenomenal, coming back into the side and carrying his form from Surrey. It's been tough on Ollie. He has learnt a very hard lesson. He showed a lot of remorse and dealt with a huge range of emotions. As a squad we need to keep looking to educate and make the sport as inclusive as we can. As a team we are committed to do that. We aren't saying we are perfect, but we are learning our lessons. I am not sure about his selection for the next Test," Root added.