Mitchell’s reaction stuns greats
Daryl Mitchell is one of the most competitive people Matt Henry has come across. Henry argues that Mitchell’s comment “defined by the outcomes” came out wrongly.
Former test greats Ian Smith and Jeremy Coney were stunned by Mitchell’s admission that the Black Caps won’t be “defined by the outcomes”.
Mitchell’s comments came after New Zealand missed a great chance for a rare test cricket win over Australia in the second and final match of the series in Christchurch on Monday.
Speaking yesterday, seamer Henry, who took 7-67 in the first innings and 9-161 for the match, stuck up for Mitchell, saying no-one hated losing more than him.
“We knew what Daryl was trying to say. It’s never easy facing the media straight after a loss like that.
“You look at Daryl as a player and how well he’s done and he’s one of the most competitive guys I know. He’s put our team in so many winning situations over the years.”
The result meant New Zealand lost a home test series for the first time in 13 match-ups, since a 1-0 defeat by South Africa in a three-match series in 2017.
Well-performed and determined middle-order batter Mitchell stuck to a mindset theme the team likes to use when he said that while the Black Caps wanted a rare victory over their trans-Tasman rivals, he hoped how the side played would inspire young kids.
“For us, we’ve always said as Black Caps, we’re not defined by the outcomes, we’re defined by how we play cricket and hopefully how we inspire our country to play the game,” Mitchell told radio broadcaster SENZ. “Although we didn’t get the win that we wanted, I think if we keep turning up and keep playing cricket like this, puffing our chests out and doing it with a smile on our face and hopefully inspiring many young kids here in New Zealand to play test cricket in the future, then we’re doing the right thing.”
No-one was more frustrated than the players themselves, Henry said.
“As a group we play in a test match and we’re trying to make our country proud and we want to play the best cricket we possibly can.
“Obviously, we’re out there trying to win those moments. Unfortunately [on Monday] we had a partnership between [Alex] Carey and [Mitchell] Marsh that we couldn’t quite break. It was disappointing not to get over the line.”
Former New Zealand test captain and current radio commentator Jeremy Coney said young kids would follow the Black Caps if they won.
“I absolutely support the sentiment of it about the fact that you’re an international sportsman and that you train as hard as you can,” Coney said.
“You don’t want to let your team-mates down ... all those kinds of things, you do in order to, what? To lose?
“Give me a break. [You do it] to win. Winning is actually the key to it all.
“Any position that you do, you have to do it well in order to remain doing it, for a start. If you do it poorly, you’re out. So don’t tell me that outcomes have got nothing to do with international sport.
“We kind of get what he’s meaning. But actually, young kids will follow the New Zealand side when they win. I promise you that, Daryl, they’ll stick with you.”
Former test wicketkeeper-batter and fellow commentator Ian Smith was stunned by Mitchell’s comments.
“I'm going to take two or three deep breaths here and then still say, I don’t believe I just heard a New Zealand cricketer say ‘We’re not defined by the outcomes’ of a test match against Australia.
“If we were to ask Daryl Mitchell, had they got up and won that test, he wouldn’t have said, ‘Really, winning didn’t really matter to us, it was more the way we were appreciated and respected by our crowds and our kids coming through'.
“I'm sorry ... unless I’ve been so far removed from the game, I don’t understand, and I hope it was just a mistake, to be perfectly honest.”
“I don’t believe I just heard a New Zealand cricketer say ‘We’re not defined by the outcomes’ of a test match against Australia.’’ Ian Smith