NICK HOWSON: The Black Caps are left empty-handed after a major white-ball tournament once again, but it was the manner of their seven-wicket defeat to Pakistan Sydney that left the captain exacerbated
There was no hiding Kane Williamson's disappointment over the manner of New Zealand's defeat to Pakistan in the men's T20 World Cup semi-final in Sydney.
During his post-match press conference lasting a little over 10 minutes, he used the word "frustrating" seven times in what was a snappier, almost curt, performance than we're generally used to from the normally stoic Kiwi captain.
It was a curiously sloppy performance from last year's runners-up, playing in their 12th semi-final in 20 World Cups, who produced a performance far removed from their status as tournament specialists.
Batting first had delivered five wins from six games at the SCG but the Black Caps spurned their opportunity, losing Finn Allen in the first over and Glenn Phillips in the eighth. Williamson made 46 and Daryl Mitchell repeated his semi-final heroics from 12 months ago with an unbeaten 53. But 152 for 4 would be 10-15 runs short.
Things hardly improved in the field. Three chances went down, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson and Tim Southee were ineffective and Pakistan eased home with seven wickets and five balls to spare, scoring just seven off their last nine deliveries and even losing Mohammad Haris, such was their dominance.
New Zealand were left to consider another near-miss (DAVID GRAY/AFP via Getty Images)
This was New Zealand's third semi-final defeat at a T20 World Cup and their fifth at an ICC white-ball tournament since 2007. Perhaps barring the 81-run loss to Sri Lanka in Kingston 15 years ago, this was their meekest display of the lot.
"We want to achieve something every tournament," said Williamson. "Once again, you sort of narrow down what you look at, and the performance is certainly what we always try and look at.
"Guys get older and so does everybody, I suppose, and that's the nature of sport.
"I guess we've had so many events so sort of close together in the last two years that have come quick and fast, and now I think it resumes as prior to the interruption that we had in the last year.
"Yeah, a bit of time, got another one next year, I think, and then it sort of resumes."
Glenn Phillips' dismissal was a key moment (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
He added: "To me, it's about the game, the performance, and that's certainly what we look at.
"That's the frustrating thing for me today. If you get beaten playing your best cricket, then you certainly have to accept that.
"Today was a little bit disappointing.
"There were some good bits, but we thought we had a defendable total if we were to be on our game, and the margins are small in this format, and Pakistan were outstanding with the bat and certainly chased that down."
Most captains in Williamson's position would focus on the outcome. But it would be ignoring how New Zealand have regularly troubled cricket's superpowers if he overlooked the importance of the process.
Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan broke the back of the chase (DAVID GRAY/AFP via Getty Images)
Attention now quickly turns to the 50-over World Cup in 12 months' time. Gary Stead's side are second in the ODI rankings, aiming to avenge their controversial defeat to England in 2019 and begin preparations in earnest with a three-match series against India later this month.
"Being in a leadership role with the team, you're always looking at the performance," added Williamson.
"I think we've played in a number of different finals and put out really good performances, probably good enough to win, and either got met by a side that's played a little bit better or a side that's played about equal, you know, however it looks.
"You accept some of those things, and so the frustrating part of this today is that we weren't quite on top of our game. We fought hard and we showed some good characteristics that are important for our team and the attitude you want to see, but yeah, it wasn't to be. That's the frustrating part to me.
"The picture is big. You play a number of tournaments. Yeah, you want to win some, but you finish a tournament, you certainly just start focusing on the next one. To me, it comes down to the cricket, and that's where we put our focus.
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Williamson will reflect on his future (SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty Images)
"The environment, how well we're tracking, and there's been a lot of good stuff. The journey was good, a lot of good cricket, but as we know, you've got to continue to as you go into the business end, and today was certainly frustrating."
What Williamson's role will be come the tournament in India or the next T20 showcase in the United States and West Indies in 2024 remains to be seen. He has led the men's team across the formats since replacing Brendon McCullum in 2016 and wouldn't be the first to step away from one of the roles to ease the demands on his schedule, which also includes the Indian Premier League.
"I certainly love playing in all the formats," he explained.
"There's a lot of cricket, and so that needs to be managed a little bit. It's a changing landscape with players all around the world at the moment, and we've seen it in our camp, as well.
"After these sorts of events, you sort of sit down and give yourself a chance to reflect and sort of look at what's coming up."
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