ICC World Cup 2019 | Important we focus on cricket that we want to play, says Williamson

New Zealand will enter the final of the ongoing World Cup against a heavily-favoured England at Lord's as underdogs, something that the All Blacks skipper Kane Williamson has come to accept over the years while playing for the national team. The experienced batsman backed his side to overcome any opposition when given an opportunity.

"A lot of people say that on a number of occasions which is great, and I think England, rightly so, deserve to be favourites. Coming into this tournament from the start, they were the favourites and they've been playing really good cricket. 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 breed of dog.

"Party-poopers? You talking about dogs again, hey? Underdogs? Look, we are really looking forward to the occasion and the end point and the result...focussing too much on it, I don't think, is a positive thing," Williamson said at a press conference at Lord’s. 

Williamson, who is in contention to usurp Rohit Sharma as the tournament’s highest run-getter with a current tally of 549 runs, added that he hopes to have inspired a host of youngsters back in his homeland after making back-to-back finals at the quadrennial showpiece.

"Well, I'd like to think it would have a really positive impact on the sport in our country. Having played in the previous one and being in the final there, it still had a massive impact, in terms of perhaps inspiring kids to get involved in the game. Hopefully, there's a lot of kids out there who have been enjoying the cricket we have been playing and appreciate the hard work that's gone into being here now," Williamson added.