Record-breaking New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum said a crushingly lopsided World Cup win over England here on Friday was a “bizarre” achievement.
New Zealand paceman Tim Southee took seven for 33, the third-best World Cup figures of all-time, as England were bowled out for just 123. McCullum then piled on the agony for England with the fastest-ever World Cup fifty, off just 18 balls, on his way to a whirlwind 77.
“It's a great win, while England have probably struggled of late, we knew we'd have to keep them quiet,” McCullum said at the presentation ceremony.
As for man-of-the-match Southee's haul, McCullum added: “It's one of the best spells of bowling I've seen for a long time. Tim's been leading our group for a long time and with Trent Boult, he got the ball swinging a huge amount.
“To win by that sort of margin, it's bizarre really. We've earned ourselves a good break after a great first week.”
Southee, roared on by a 33,000 crowd at the Westpac Stadium, said: “A packed house was pretty special to come out in front of. We've been bowling well as a group for a long time and today was one of those moments when it all went well for us. Our bowling coach, Shane Bond, does a lot of work behind the scenes and puts confidence into us.”
“I think Shane takes a lot of pride out of seeing the bowlers do well,” Southee said. “I think he's been instrumental in the way the bowlers have performed for a couple of years now.”