GOD OWES US
A celestial debt needs paying.
This "Year of the World Cup" has been nothing but an empty cereal box placed neatly back in the pantry.
The Silver Ferns finished fourth.
The Football Ferns could not find the back of the net when it really counted.
The Tall Blacks were knocked out of contention in pool play.
The All Blacks, well, they are not done yet but pencil them in for a quarterfinal exit.
And, to open the wound a little deeper, the New Zealand women’s team went 0-5 during the round-robin of the Indoor Hockey World Cup in South Africa in February. Oof.
And it starts tonight with revenge against the boundary countback kings.
The Blacks Caps were cruelly denied a share of the 2019 title when England were awarded the trophy on the now defunct boundary countback rule, which had been buried in the small print.
That fact we took Pakistan’s place in the semifinals courtesy of superior net run rate when they beat us by six wickets during round-robin play is irrelevant. Completely irrelevant. Why even mention it?
But that final.
It was a tie. The super over was a tie.
Five million of us tried praying that Monday morning in July and those earnest expressions of faith just fluttered away.
IN KANE WE TRUST
His knee is broken and we are all holding our breath he does not break it any more than it already is.
But this is Kane Williamson we are talking about.
He is one of our greatest players and there is no-one else you would rather have coming in next when the bowling is good and the pitch is tough. The 33-year-old excels in those conditions. What he lacks in power, he makes up for in placement. He is not prone to making rash decisions and you need someone with his unflappable nature out in the middle when the game is on the line.
And he is just so good at rotating the strike (let’s hope he can still run between the wickets with that dicky knee) and making room for the batters who play a bolder, more high-risk brand of cricket when it is needed. He is our anchor and we need him more than ever following Ross Taylor’s departure. He is also our best player of spin and spin has been our undoing over the years. It won’t spin in India, will it?
BOULT FROM THE BLUE
But he is committed to a third World Cup campaign and that is good news because the 34-year-old has nabbed 39 wickets at an average of 21.79 in 19 World Cup games.
His ability to strike with the new ball will be critical in conditions expected to favour the batters.
ONE-ARMED BANDIT
Mitchell Santner’s bowling action renders one arm completely useless but the other arm will be valuable for the Black Caps. He does not have a great record in the subcontinent but he will lead the Black Caps spin attack.
Santner can be awfully frugal and the Black Caps will look to him to bowl through the middle to restrict the scoring and build pressure. He will team up with Ish Sodhi, and Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips will likely be called on to pick up some overs as well.
EXPERIENCE
Phillips (26), Ravindra (23) and Mark Chapman (29) are the only players under 30 in the squad. The Blacks Caps are not Dad’s Army yet but they have assembled a lineup that knows its way from the boundary’s edge to to the middle.
All-rounders Santner and Jimmy Neesham are back for another shot at glory as well, while keeper Tom Latham and top-order batter Williamson are back for their third and fourth World Cups respectively.
FIVE OF THE BEST
Shubman Gill (India) has flogged more ODI runs than anyone else in 2023. The 24-year-old right-hander has clouted 1230 runs from 1171 balls in 20 games for the World Cup hosts, and that included a double century against the Black Caps in Hyderabad in January. He rocked into a pull shot at every opportunity that day. There is a lesson in that.
Naseem Shah (Pakistan) is in possession of some real pace which he generates with his whippy action. The 20-year-old right-armer has snapped up 32 wickets at an average of 16.96 in 14 ODI outings for his country. And having shaken off an injury which sidelined him for most of 2021, he emerges as a potent force in a team blessed with quality fast bowlers.
Liam Livingstone (England) might be worth including in your fantasy team. England are very likely to go deep in the tournament and, call it a hunch, his hitting power and his ability to bowl both legspin and off-breaks could come in very handy.
Adam Zampa (Australia) may well find himself right at home in India. The wrist spinner’s variations and changes of pace, plus any spin he might generate, will make him a difficult customer to score off. He is a vastly experienced campaigner and boasts a solid record during the past two or three years.
Black Caps
The schedule
Tonight: v England, Ahmedabad, 9.30pm
October 9: v Netherlands, Hyderabad, 9.30pm
October 13: v Bangladesh, Chennai, 9.30pm
October 18: v Afghanistan, Chennai, 9.30pm
October 22: v India, Dharamsala, 9.30pm
October 28: v Australia, Dharamsala, 6pm
November 1: v South Africa, Pune, 9.30pm
November 9: v Sri Lanka, Bengaluru, 9.30pm
- All NZ time
Squad
Kane Williamson (captain), Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young
