Now maybe the Black Caps can sit down and have an honest conversation about their weaknesses before it really is too late.
Chances are yesterday's six-wicket loss to Pakistan at the World Cup will not matter a jot.
The Black Caps are nicely ensconced in the top four and are odds-on to make the semifinals.
They could still miss out but England will be much more nervous as the chasing pack of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan close in on fourth spot.
New Zealand does not need to be too hard on itself. Pakistan has a tremendous attack and Shaheen Afridi (three for 28) bowled a terrific spell.
He nicked out Ross Taylor with a gem of a delivery and also accounted for the struggling Colin Munro and the equally out-of-form Tom Latham, whose wicketkeeping has been a disappointment as well.
The Black Caps did well to battle back from 83 for five to post a competitive total of 237 for six.
All-rounders Jimmy Neesham (97 not out) and Colin de Grandhomme (64) put on 132 for the sixth-wicket.
Their form with the bat was encouraging. The value of playing two all-rounders is now perhaps much clearer than it was a week or so ago when many felt the Black Caps had the wrong mix.
The sixth bowling option is important insurance and no-one doubted their hitting power. But watching Neesham dig in and take responsibility will release some of the pressure on the top order.
The bowling was sound and the Black Caps gave themselves a chance of defending the total. They just could not break the partnership of Babar Azam (101 not out) and Haris Sohail (68) until it was too late.
That honest conversation mentioned earlier has already began.
Coach Gary Stead admitted the Black Caps got the team selection wrong and should have played a second spinner on what was a used wicket at Edgbaston.
"Ish [Sodhi] didn't play because we weren't convinced it was going to spin and in hindsight we got that wrong," Stead told Radio Sport Breakfast.
"The information and intel that we gathered was that it wasn't likely to spin a lot.
"[We] realised [we'd misread the pitch] in the first over when it spun pretty big. That can happen. We put our hands up - we got that wrong."
The Black Caps have fielded the same 11 players throughout the tournament but will now have to consider changes. They have left it late but Munro's position at the top of the batting order has to be untenable, surely.
He threw his wicket away yesterday with a larrup outside off stump. Munro started well with an undefeated 58 but has strung together a disappointing sequence of 24, 22, 9, 0 and 12.
Henry Nicholls looked to have usurped him at the top of the order at the back end of the New Zealand summer and maybe it is time he reclaimed his spot.
Latham has been in even worse touch. He has just 27 runs at an average of 6.75. He is not a strong enough keeper to retain his spot if he is not producing runs.
Tom Blundell is the back-up and he scored a century in a warm-up game.
The Black Caps have learned the lesson about playing a second spinner. Sodhi will play in the right conditions. Seamer Matt Henry is the most likely bowler to miss out.
The other option is to drop an all-rounder but they are both in decent form.
