Christchurch, Feb 14 (IANS): New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson, who was adjudged the Man-of-the-Match for his performance against Sri Lanka here Saturday, said playing a World Cup in front of family and friends is a kind of a dream coming true for players.

“It's nice to come back home and play in front of family and friends. I guess this World Cup is the stuff we dream of,” Anderson said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

The 24-year-old clobbered the Sri Lankan bowlers all over the Hagley Oval for his 75 from 46 deliveries.

Anderson admitted he was nervous when he walked out to bat and added he can never replicate his predetermined plans out there in the middle.

“There were more nerves than normal, but that is pretty cliché isn't it? You always want to do well for New Zealand. I always have a different plan when I go out to bat, and it turns out differently in the middle. We just wanted to turn that par total into a winning total," he said.

“Brendon held me back for a little bit till the end, so it was good to get a bowl, but the other bowlers really set the tone, especially Dan (Daniel Vettori) who just took them out of the game,” he said.

Anderson also picked up two wickets giving away just 18 runs from 3.1 overs.