Cricket WorldCup ‘19: Breed doesn't matter in dog fight: Classic 'Kane Williamson' to British media
London, Jul 14: New Zealand captain Kane Williamson was at his wittiest best when he said it is the fight that matters rather than "breed of the dog" as his side geared up to take on favourites England in the summit clash of the World Cup here Sunday.
Williamson's comments was in reference to the hostile British media's constant queries on how it feels to go into the finale as "underdogs".
The members of the 'Fleet Street' asked him same questions in various manners mostly pertaining to dealing with defeats and how he plans to do that.
"A lot of people say that on a number of occasions which is great and I think England rightly so deserve to be favourites," the Black Caps skipper said on the even of the match at the iconic Lord's.
"But whatever dog we are, it's just important that we focus on the cricket that we want to play. We have seen over the years that anybody can beat anybody regardless of the breed of dog," Williamson said with a killer smile.
The follow-up question was bit more offensive as a local reporter asked how would it feel to become party poopers, pre-empting that big party is on the cards.
"Party-poopers? You talking about dogs again, hey? (Smiling) Underdogs? Look, we are really looking forward to the occasion and, like I say, the end point and the result, there's a lot of time between now and that point," said Williamson in a more serious tone.
"You have to deal with a number of different things, whether it's different moments of pressure, whether it's different moments of momentum and we have to be prepared to deal with all of those again."
The next question was a bit weird as a British journalist asked whether he loves winning more or does he hate losing, Williamson curtly replied: "I prefer winning than losing (smiling). That is probably the best way to say it.
"Any experience that you have is an opportunity to learn and sometimes tough experiences, being on the wrong side of results, can sometimes slap you in the face and give you a glaring lesson and if you ignore that, I don't think that is a positive thing."
Williamson said New Zealand would look to put up a fighting performance to give them the best possible opportunity to come out on top of England.
"Whether having had experience in a final or not is a good thing. But at the same time as we know in this game nothing promises, so it does come down to putting a performance on the board that gives us the best opportunity to win," he said.
He further said for all those kids back in New Zealand, their performance on Sunday will epitomize the fighting qualities and all hard work that has gone in over the years.
"I guess anything's possible (smiling). I guess when you take yourself back to that point in time, it feels like a long way away and you make a few small steps forward and you work pretty hard together as a group and next thing you might find yourself here, Williamson said.
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Two held for Rs 1.13 crore gold theft at Housing Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan residence in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: Shivajinagar Police have arrested two persons for allegedly stealing gold ornaments worth Rs 1.13 crore from the Pulakeshinagar residence of Housing Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan.
The accused have been identified as Ameer Ahmed and his associate Syed Ameer, Deccan Herald reported.
Police said Ameer Ahmed is known to the family and is a distant relative of the minister’s mother, Sogar Khanam. He had been visiting the house regularly and had reportedly gained the family’s trust by offering assistance.
According to police, He had suffered losses in his travel business and was in financial distress. He had allegedly sought Rs 5 lakh as financial help from the family and expressed a desire to travel to Mecca. When he didn't get help, Ahmed allegedly conspired with his associate Syed and carried out the theft.
Investigators said the duo pledged the stolen gold ornaments at a private finance company and invested the proceeds in real estate ventures.
Suspicion arose after Ahmed stopped visiting the house, following the theft. He also stopped responding to phone calls. His mobile phone remaining switched off post the incident, further raised doubts, leading police to track and arrest him.
During interrogation, both accused reportedly confessed to the crime. Based on the information provided, police recovered the stolen gold ornaments.
