Following a chaotic start to a press conference for the Cricket World Cup semi-final on Tuesday, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson demonstrated that he is just as comfortable handling challenging deliveries off the field as he is on it. In the lead-up to Wednesday’s final four match in Mumbai between New Zealand and undefeated hosts India, the star batsman was surrounded by dozens of reporters at Wankhede Stadium who were keen to hear his opinions. However, the press conference began in an odd way when a question was asked about the first-ever recorded ascent of Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world, which was accomplished by Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary of New Zealand in Nepal.
A reporter said, “On May 29, 1953, about 70 years back…”
However, Williamson—who was born in 1990, 37 years later—interjected “I remember” before he could finish his question, setting off a flurry of laughter among the assembled reporters and broadcasters.
A burst of screeching microphone feedback then interrupted the press conference. A speaker then spoke in a disembodied voice, saying, “Hello mic check, hello mic check, one, two, three.”
The reporter continued his question, drawing a comparison between the challenge of climbing Everest and New Zealand’s struggle against an India team that had won all nine of their round-robin matches. New Zealand had been the finalists in the previous two World Cups.
Williamson, who played in the Indian Premier League and is well-versed in India, began to respond to the question, but further technical issues kept him from finishing.
The 33-year-old Williamson played sound engineer while officials took several minutes to fix the problem, evoking more laughter with his comment, “Hello, mic check, mic check, mic check.”
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“I think I know the question, I’ll give the answer shortly,” he continued. That may be the only query, and I’ll provide five different responses.”
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