Daryl Mitchell Talks About How He Turned Preparation into Performance

New Zealand’s middle-order batter Daryl Mitchell is ecstatic after recently overtaking Virat Kohli in the ICC ODI batting rankings. He believes the Black Caps have played quality cricket over the past decade, which has also allowed him to contribute effectively to the team’s success.

“It's cool. If you look at the last decade, as a team we have been in some pretty cool matches and at some pointy ends of tournaments, so yeah, it's nice to get that recognition of how I've gone about my business over the last few years.” said Daryl Mitchell on his recent achievement in ICC rankings.

“But it's not something I think about every day. It's obviously nice to have some success in the game and recognition for doing it over a long period of time. So very proud to represent our country and help us win.” added Daryl Mitchell.

Talking about what he has done to keep himself highly competitive at the international stage, Mitchell said that he has always stuck to his basics, which has allowed him to perform to the best of his ability.

“It took me a while to get to international cricket, and I look at that as almost a blessing in disguise. That I was able to learn my game over a period of time in domestic cricket, understand not only what kind of cricketer I want to be, but what kind of person I want to be as well.” said Daryl Mitchell.

“Once I got to the international stage, it allowed me to just be myself. I'm a competitor. That's what drives me. I want to be part of moments and help us win moments. And if I can do that more often than not, then you are going to have some personal success along the way as well. It's just a matter of being present in that moment and getting stuck into it for our country.” added Daryl Mitchell.

Mitchell is equally confident about the Black Caps chances to lift the ICC T20 World Cup trophy, as he believes the team has the potential to perform strongly in the upcoming knockout matches.