After losing in the finals of the last two Cricket World Cups, this one will be the last chance for many of the Black Caps to win. However, their 2023 campaign is already in jeopardy because of health worries.
Squad
Kane Williamson (c), Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young.
Best finish at the tournament
Runners-up (2015, 2019)
It would be simple to focus on the disappointing conclusion to New Zealand’s last two World Cup campaigns, but doing so would overlook the outstanding cricket the team played in both tournaments.
Sharing hosting rights with Australia and playing on home soil up until the final, the Black Caps did not succumb to the pressures of expectations, even defeating eventual tournament champions Australia in an Eden Park nail-biter in the early stages.
The now-famous semi-final match against South Africa took place at Eden Park, and Grant Elliott was the savior at the end, striking a six into the crowd to secure a path to the final.
In the final against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, New Zealand were nearly eliminated before they had an opportunity to set foot on the ground.
Mitch Starc’s third delivery of the innings would have dismissed anyone in the tournament, including Brendon McCullum, but the Australians escaped unscathed.
Four years later, the team again advanced to the semi-finals and prevailed against India, this time by maintaining composure during a tense contest.
The story’s conclusion is well-known, but it bears repeating that only a boundary countback separated England and New Zealand when the dust settled after the Super Over.
Results in the last 10 ODI games
[ Most recent first ] : W W N/R L L L W W L L
Fixtures
vs England (5 October), Ahmedabad
vs Netherlands (9 October), Hyderabad
vs Bangladesh (13 October), Chennai
vs Afghanistan (18 October), Chennai
vs India (22 October), Dharamsala
vs Australia (28 October), Dharamsala
vs South Africa (1 November), Pune
vs Pakistan (4 November), Bengaluru
vs Sri Lanka (9 November), Bengaluru
Key Match
vs Pakistan (4 November), Bengaluru
Pakistan is another team anticipated to be on the semi-final cusp, and New Zealand would likely have to defeat them in order to reach the semi-finals of this year’s tournament.
The encounter in Bengaluru is New Zealand’s penultimate, and the final match against Sri Lanka on the same ground beckons as another must-win contest.
New Zealand and Pakistan must resolve their respective selection concerns by November 4, but it is important to note that they both face the same challenges.
Both teams have respectable batting lineups centered on their respective captains Kane Williamson and Babar Azam, but both lack a top-order or middle-order batsman who can accelerate the run rate. Daryl Mitchell could be the X-factor for New Zealand in this match.
The teams are familiar antagonists having played eight times in ODIs this year. Pakistan has a 5-3 record against New Zealand over the past decade, but it should be noted that all matches were played on Pakistani soil in two series.
