LONDON: Back in 1990,
Gary Stead, then an 18-year-old budding batsman, used to clean windows in the hallowed pavilions of the Lord's cricket ground. He would also sell scorecards to patrons during matches.
Twenty-nine years later, when Stead spoke at a media interaction about 30 metres away from one of the same pavilions, he chuckled as he recalled those days.
"I was lucky enough to be part of the groundstaff here. We had different duties when we turned up. It's a great experience coming back here," the soft-spoken New Zealand coach said on Friday.
Stead, who played five Tests for New Zealand as a top-order batsman, said the two teams had a fifty-fifty chance in the final.
"I don't know who is the underdog here. That's for the media to say. We are going in with a 50-50 chance and we need to be a little bit better than England on Sunday," he said.
New Zealand have had a rollercoaster ride in the World Cup and made the semifinals only on better run rate. But their best attributes came to the fore in the semifinal against favourites India, whom they pipped by 18 runs to reach their second straight
World Cup final
.
Talking about his team, Stead said, "There are a lot of positives but there is a lot of fight and steeliness in the way we have played. We don't have to play the perfect game. What we have to do is to be able to adapt to conditions in front of us."
That adaptability was illustrated by the way New Zealand played the semis against India, according to the coach.
"Working out that 240 is a good score is the strength of the guys have, especially the middle order. Players like Kane, Ross, Tom Latham… they have a lot of experience. There was a lot of talk before the World Cup about scores of 350 and more. We didn't make any but just adapted to the conditions."
A World Cup final is all about handling pressure. Stead thought that there will be more pressure on England. "There is pressure on both teams… the exciting thing is that both teams have not won the Cup. But since England and India were being looked upon as winners, maybe there is more pressure on England."
For Stead, the ability of the team to win tight games have given him the most satisfaction.
Playing the conditions and winning tight games is what has been the hallmark of the Kiwis. What goes into creating the right attitude?
"We just turn up and try to get better everyday. That's all you can ask of everyone. I don't think we overly focus on the end result. We are just going out there and playing the best that we can understanding that you don't have to play perfect cricket all the time."
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