In Colombo on Saturday New Zealand’s players and staff gathered in small groups at various locations around the city. One assembled in a beachside bar overlooking the Laccadive Sea, where they shared snacks, nursed drinks and tried their best to engage in conversation while making furtive glances towards the big screen. There was another in the team hotel, crammed into the room of their captain, Mitchell Santner. All of them monitored Pakistan’s game against Sri Lanka, and their pursuit of a victory that would enable them to pip the Black Caps to a place in the World Cup’s final four.
In the end Pakistan did win, but not by the margin they required – and on Tuesday it was reported that the Pakistan Cricket Board had fined each player around £13,500 as punishment, informing them that if they can accept rewards for good performances they “must also pay penalties for poor ones”.
