NEW DELHI: New Zealand batsman Daryl Mitchell has dismissed criticism of the Black Caps‘ sportsmanship during Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final loss to India. Mitchell, who scored a notable 134 in New Zealand’s response, emphasised that the team takes pride in their approach to the game and will continue to play cricket in a manner that reflects their values.
Several New Zealand players assisted India’s Virat Kohli, who faced cramps while scoring a century, by checking on him and helping him stretch during the match at the Wankhede Stadium.Despite criticism from former Australia all-rounderSimon O’Donnell, Mitchell defended the team’s actions, stating that their approach is a source of pride for the Black Caps and New Zealanders.

“I think that’s something we really pride ourselves on as Black Caps and as New Zealanders. We want to play cricket in a way that suits us as a country and how we want to see our kids grow up and play the game themselves,” Mitchell told reporters as the team left Mumbai late on Thursday.

“We’ll keep playing cricket the way we do as Kiwis, and hopefully the rest of the world can respect us and how we go about our day-to-day life, not only on the field but off it as well. It’s something that we’re really proud of, so we’ll just keep being Black Caps and doing what we’re doing.”
Looking ahead, Mitchell assured that the disappointment of the semi-final exit at the World Cup would not impact their performance in the upcoming two-Test series against Bangladesh starting on November 28.
“That’s the nature of international sport these days,” he explained. “We’ll show up, we love Test cricket, it means a hell of a lot to this group. We’ll be ready to go come the first day of that Test and wear that black cap again.”

(With inputs from Reuters)