Shane Bond Talks About The Mixed Feelings He Underwent After New Zealand Lost The 2019 World Cup Final

Former New Zealand speedster Shane Bond has recalled the heartbreak suffered after the 2019 World Cup final. New Zealand lost the 2019 World Cup final at the Lord’s to England by the barest of margins as the match and the super over both ended in a tie. But England lifted their first World Cup due to having more boundaries in the clash. Shane Bond revealed that there were mixed emotions following that epic encounter.

Though the 2019 World Cup final was not a high-scoring encounter, both teams fought tooth and nail to lift their maiden World Cup. New Zealand, who batted first managed 241 due to contributions from Tom Latham and Henry Nicholls’ half-century. Ben Stokes finished with 84 not out, while Jos Buttler made 59 to take the team closer to the target after the hosts lost early wickets.

Shane Bond stated he doubts the New Zealand team would watch that game and recalled flying to the Netherlands from San Fransisco that day. The 18-Test veteran made his phone go through the security checks and was devastated to find the result of the last ball. Bond underlined that the impact felt would have been epic had the Kiwis lifted the World Cup and the sport as a whole would have received a massive boost.

“I doubt if the boys would watch it. I wouldn’t if I was involved in the game. I was on holiday at that time. I was on my way to San Fransico airport to fly to the Netherlands. And I sat up all through the night in the USA and I was going through security and had to put my phone through security when the last ball was being bowled and had to find the result out. And I was gutted. I was devastated for three days. I was quiet. I knew the impact a World Cup win would have on our country and in the sport in our country. But I expected the reactions that we got from our players at the end of the game,” Bond told Times Of India.

That’s the beauty of T20 cricket and what the IPL has brought about: Shane Bond

Shane Bond credited the IPL and T20 cricket for bringing the players incredibly close, having seen it in recent years. The 46-year old revealed as much as he was upset, he felt delighted for Joe Root and Jos Buttler – both of who he had been personally involved with.

“That’s the beauty of T20 cricket and what the IPL has brought about. There’s a real close relationship between the players. You would have seen it in recent days. Trent Boult has talked about Jasprit Bumrah and Rohit Sharma. All these guys are now really good mates and so as much we were gutted, I also had guys who I had been involved with – Jos Buttler, Joe Root who I was delighted for, because they are great guys and I had a personal relationship with them,” he added.

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