Gary Stead once scrubbed the windows of the Lord바카라s pavilion - nearly three decades on he wouldn바카라t mind seeing some of his big-hitters breaking them. (FULL COVERAGE)Â
The New Zealand coach spent a happy summer in his late teens working on the MCC바카라s ground staff, cleaning, selling scorecards and honing his love of the game at the Home of Cricket.
Now, as he prepares to lead the Black Caps into Sunday바카라s ICC Men바카라s Cricket World Cup final against England, you could forgive him a pinch yourself moment.
But Stead is dialling down the pressure on his side, seven of who were losing finalists four years ago to Australia.
바카라When you strip it back, it바카라s just another game of cricket,바카라 he said, while also acknowledging the support of a nation half a world away, pulling all-nighters back home to cheer the team.
바카라We바카라re excited about the opportunity ahead of us and we start the game with a 50/50 chance, we just need to be that bit better than England. We know the force they바카라ve become and that바카라s why they start the game as favourites.Â
바카라You can do all the scenario training you want but you can바카라t replicate what goes on in a big moment like this. There is pressure on both teams because neither have ever won a World Cup. It바카라s about how you handle it.Â
바카라I know both teams will play the game hard in the middle and have a beer afterwards.
바카라As I team we came here with three goals, we바카라ve achieved two - just one to go.바카라
Stead succeeded Mike Hesson last June and has remained committed to the brand of cricket he pioneered alongside former captain Brendon McCullum, a style of play Eoin Morgan바카라s England took as a blueprint for their ascent to the top of the world rankings.
But he is playing a textbook forward defensive to talk about the lessons of 2015, when New Zealand lost by seven wickets in a low-scoring final in Melbourne.
바카라We바카라ll talk about expectations and pressure, we바카라ll lean on those experiences but I just want to keep it as real as we can," he added.
바카라We just turn up and try to get better every day, we understand you don바카라t need to play the perfect game of cricket every time.바카라
Stead praised how his side 바카라stood up under pressure바카라 in a 바카라war of attrition바카라 with India, a thrilling semi-final win in Manchester that sent reverberations around world cricket.
Earlier this year he talked about the 바카라brutal truth바카라 of New Zealand바카라s World Cup hopes, following a 4-1 ODI series trouncing at the hands of Virat Kohli바카라s side.
But throughout this tournament they바카라ve found a way to win when it matters most - and that alone should be enough to worry England, who like New Zealand have never won the ICC Men바카라s Cricket World Cup and are appearing in their first final since 1992.
바카라It doesn바카라t matter how you get there. There바카라s a fight and steeliness about the way we play and I바카라m pleased how we바카라ve adapted to conditions,바카라 he added.
Martin Guptill, whose brilliant run out of MS Dhoni turned the semi-final, has struggled for runs in recent weeks but looked fluent and free-scoring in the nets. Henry Nicholls, who picked up a hamstring injury in the semi-final, also went through an extensive work-out.
바카라He was batting for two hours and everything was good,바카라 added Stead. 바카라He바카라ll have a thorough fitness test on Saturday and we바카라ll make a call then. If he바카라s ruled out then we바카라ve other guys in the squad that can step up.바카라
(With Inputs From ICC)
