Anirch Nortje chats to the media after his Player of the Match performance against Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup.

[Reporter:]

You were here last summer for Major League Cricket, got a chance to take part in the games in North Carolina and Texas, and I’m curious for your thoughts in terms of how the atmosphere in this facility that you experienced today compared to what you experienced last summer for the first time coming to the USA?

[Anrich Nortje:]

Yeah, it’s great to be in New York playing cricket. It’s something I never thought would happen. And obviously everything’s bigger and better this year with a bigger stadium, bigger crowds. It’s really nice to see the people coming out. The atmosphere is unbelievable today. It’s not something I think you expect as a cricketer coming to USA. And the love and support for cricket is so massive here. It’s brilliant to see the people come out, even though it’s mostly for the opposition. But it’s great to have them here and to sort of get that vibe. But yeah, cricket all in all was great. We had some sort of understanding of what to expect from a wicket. We weren’t sure until we obviously started the game, but it’s just great to see how things are going, and hopefully we can keep this momentum up as a team as well.

To last summer, yeah, like I said, I think, cricket wise, it’s good. Cricket wise, last summer was good. The quality was good. The cricket was good. Exactly the same this time around. Obviously having international teams probably ups the ante a little bit at the end of the day. But the cricket in itself, the quality, the facilities, everything’s been great so far. We’re used to a lot of different things, so I think one or two changes doesn’t upset anyone because cricket, there’s so many different variations and at the end of the day you just sort of have to adapt to what you’ve got. But all in all, I thought conditions, facilities, everything’s been brilliant so far – and last season.

[Reporter:]

Is that the reflection of someone who’s just been playing in the IPL where there’s 270 being scored? It obviously wasn’t going to be like that today, was it, on that wicket?

[Anrich Nortje:]

Yeah, it was never going to be like that on that wicket. There’s a lot more in it for the bowlers. I thought there was a lot more bounce, a little bit of variation as well. One or two balls staying lower, different bowlers getting different, sort of results out the wicket. So, at the end of the day, it’s really going to be a hell of an effort to get to 250 or 200 even. So, I thought the boys bowled really well. To be chasing more runs on that wicket would have become tougher and tougher as we go along. So great to the guys who were opening and in that middle phase as well to just knock their runs off as quick as possible.

[Reporter:]

As a bowler, how quickly do you have to adapt when you see a wicket like that? Do you change the way you go about it?

[Anrich Nortje:]

Yeah, you’ve got a few balls and then you need to know what to do. I think it was quite clear from the start when we started off after Janssen bowled one or two fuller deliveries and once he bowled one a little bit shorter, we knew that there’s maybe a bit more bounce in the wicket. So that’s something for us as a unit to exploit and it’s not really a lot of chat. You can see what’s happening and you just need to go out and execute what the day and what the conditions is asking of you.

[Reporter:]

I know that every pitch is a little bit different, but these 10 were all grown at the same time. The six at the practice venue and the four here. And yesterday it was noticeable that you and KG and the other quicks weren’t allowed to bowl to your batters. So, you were bowling in an empty net. They were also pretty spicy. So that must have given you an idea of what to expect today.

[Anrich Nortje:]

Yes, we didn’t know it’s all from the same. We sort of assumed that they’re coming from the same, let me call it, factory. But yes, didn’t know that. But yes, it was a little bit up and down as well in the nets. But we need to train something and the batters need to train something. It’s not always nice to go out and face maybe balls jumping up, I think you adapt to it on the day and rather work on what you want to in the nets. And that’s why I think one or two of the guys eventually walked out, but they were still batting facing us. It’s just also you don’t want to get hit. And a day before the game, you want to sort of go through your routines as a batter and they were fresh and spicy as well.

So yeah, all in all, I think the guys prepped really well on what we had and I think it was a good sort of two net sessions, two, three net sessions that we had and to sort of see what the conditions may look like. But you never know on the day. But yeah, I think the prep was really good.

[Reporter:]

And just quickly, did you have any doubts at all bowling on those super flat wickets? In India, you had a couple of torrid matches. Were there any sort of doubts that something had gone wrong?

[Anrich Nortje:]

No, it’s literally one over that’s been, from a personal perspective, it’s been one over in a game where I’ve travelled on that side of the world. And it’s just about following your processes, working hard on what you need to improve. You sort of get an idea of where you can improve and very quickly as well.

And the other important thing is keeping the 20 people who works with you and encourages you very close to you and the other 10 million or million that that abuses you to keep them out your circle.

So yeah, it’s just about keeping those close to you, who knows you, who know what you can do, keep on working with them. And that’s exactly what I did. And to try and just sort of execute where I can. I don’t think I was on the money as I would have liked to be today, but obviously got the results and got wickets. But it’s just about the process and about trying to keep on going, trying to get better and better. And the worse it goes on a day, the better you get, I think quicker as well. You sort of know where it’s gone wrong. So yeah, I know it’s been a tough sort of month or two, but I think the training and the prep has been really good. And the thinking, especially probably the last month has been really well from myself and those 20 like I said around me so it’s been really good.

[Reporter:]

Your career best figures today and hardly there was not a single loose ball at all during those four was how satisfying is it to start off the campaign with such a critical performance?

[Anrich Nortje:]

Yeah, like I said now earlier, there was probably a few balls that I wanted a little bit differently. They weren’t 100% executed, but yeah, very happy to get the results. I think the biggest thing is just to get the results for the team. It’s not about personal performances. To get a career best is nice, but it doesn’t really matter at the end of the day unless the team is winning. So, I’m very happy for the team as well. I think every bowler bowled really well. And like I said earlier, for the guys to be scoring to get their answer as quickly as we did on a tough-ish wicket or on a very tough wicket was great to see because it might just get worse or it might just get harder, not worse. It might get harder in the next few weeks or it might get a little bit easier and then we as bowlers have to adapt again.

So yeah, very satisfied, very happy for today and sort of just clean the thoughts now, clear the thoughts and go on, get ready for the next one. Again, it’s going to be a short turnaround and can’t really hope too much around one game. But yeah, it’s a long process that we’ve been building towards and we just need to stick to our processes and keep on working hard for the next week or two and hopefully get to the playoffs and take it from there.

[Reporter:]

You said a very interesting thing about shutting out the millions of voices that are not encouraging you. Do they kind of get to you when you are injured and trying to make a comeback and then there’s just one game and you’ve not done very well in that game?

[Anrich Nortje:]

No, it’s just about having the positive energy and the positive sort of people around you in your close circle, not letting anyone into your circle who’s not on a positive note. You sort of know as a player what you can do and what you can produce. It’s just about sort of getting to that stage where it does come off and don’t let any other interference come into your personal bubble or circle. I think from there on you would be good. Like I was speaking about, it’s a process and it will happen somewhere, it’s just about when and where. But I think that’s very important as a player and I think any sportsman would tell you that as well.

[Reporter:]

Just on the pitches, do you think it’s just a case of them being fresh and not played on because even the Indians felt that from day one when they practiced, they’ve settled down a little by now.

[Anrich Nortje:]

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the wickets. It’s nice for bowlers as well. We also allowed to get some sort of assistance. Yeah, it’s different to what guys have been used to for the last few months or years. There’s a little bit more in the wicket for the bowlers and I don’t see anything wrong with that. When it’s flat, people want to see sixes and yeah, so the wheels should turn a little bit somewhere. But yeah, not taking anything away. I don’t know what to expect in the next few weeks. It might get a little bit flatter. It might get a little bit slower, faster. Who knows? I’m not the expert on it, but I think our biggest thing is just to sort of adapt to whatever gets thrown in front of us in the next game again. See in the first over what to expect and try and adjust as best as possible.

[Reporter:]

Obviously, there’s been a lot of focus here about cricket coming to the US and providing an entertaining spectacle. Do you think the pitch today is a good reflection of that entertainment and will it be down to the batters maybe to kind of adjust the way they play?

[Anrich Nortje:]

No, I thought the game was great. I thought the entertainment was there. I thought the people was there. It was a brilliant spectacle. It was brilliant to see everyone, to hear the voices, the noise, the cheering. I thought it was a great day for cricket.

It doesn’t always mean, correct me if I’m wrong, but it doesn’t always mean there needs to be twenty sixes in a game to make it entertaining. There’s still a lot of strategy that goes into the game. There’s a lot of skill that goes into the game, whether it’s sixes or bowlers or spinners, however it might be.

So, I thought the game was a brilliant game. It was still a close game at the end of the day, another wicket or two, and things might have been different. We might have been in a little bit more trouble.

So, all in all, I thought it was a really good game. It is great to be in New York. It’s great to be playing cricket in the US and we’re excited for what’s to come. We’ve enjoyed the facilities; we’ve enjoyed the sort of getting around exploring as well. So yeah, it’s brilliant and we enjoying it We definitely enjoy and we excited for the cricket and on and off the field.