We lost the match in the first 20 overs, admits Vettori

Kushan Sarkar

Nagpur, Feb 25 (PTI) New Zealand captain Daniel Vettoritoday admitted that their World Cup match against defendingchampions Australia was over as a contest after the Kiwis losttheir first six wickets within the opening 20 overs.

"Probably, yes," Vettori replied when asked whetherlosing too many wickets during the initial period was thereason behind New Zealand''s loss in the group A match at theVidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Jamatha near here.

"We made a decent start at 66 for two but then we lostquick wickets which really did the damage. I believe 260-270would have been a competitive score on this kind of a trackbut that didn''t happen. Nathan McCullum batted well and gaveour total a little bit of respectability," the Kiwi skippersaid at the post-match press conference.

The New Zealand captain was full of praise for the mannerin which the Australians bowled.

"They bowled fast and straight. Johnson got it toreverse. When these three pacers (Johnson, Tait and Lee) getgoing, they can be very dangerous," Vettori said.

Vettori conceded that the move to play Jamie How as anextra batsman in place of Jacob Oram did not click.

"We actually wanted to strengthen our batting. The ideawas to have a guy who can play well when the ball is changed.

"Now we have time to recover as we have a long break. Itwill give us time to regroup and rebuilt," he said.

During the initial overs, New Zealand batsmen played alot of dot balls and the skipper feels it''s all about how wellone can soak in the pressure.

"Good teams can easily soak up the pressure when itmatters the most. Even if they play dot balls, they can makeup for it," Vettori said.

Although there have been talks about the mood of the NewZealand team after the tragic earthquake in Christchurch,Vettori said that cannot be a reason for the defeat.

"Look, we are professional sportspersons and we have todeal with the situations," he stated. .