New Zealand World Cup Preview

I've collaborated with Michael Wagener on a New Zealand preview as part of Clear Cricket's buildup to the World Cup. Our assessment of the NZ side can be read here.

In addition to the article, I would say that the equation for NZ going to to the World Cup is pretty straightforward: given that the attack is steady rather than dangerous the batting must be able to crank out the 270-plus scores which have eluded them all too regularly, so that the bowlers have enough runs to play with. Of late, the batsmen have been somewhat confused in their approach, and guilty of overcomplicating the situation at times. A policy of rotation and regular shifts in the batting order hasn’t helped matters. But the last game against Pakistan, in which they scored 311 on the back of a brutal Jesse Ryder century, suggested they might have found a combination which works for them.

As I noted when the squad was announced, the bench strength is suspect. Luke Woodcock, Kane Williamson and Hamish Bennett are all inexperienced, though Bennett's pace and bounce may allow him to be more of an impact player than the other two. Also, Jamie How wasn't in any sort of form during the Pakistan series. He may be a better player than that, but I'm dreading the thought of McCullum getting injured and How having to step up with the gloves in a pressure match.

Still, customary semi-final spot is not beyond our reach. The knockout nature of the competition keeps things wide open. If they can avoid tripping up against the Zimbabweans it should be smooth progress to the quarters. The familiarity factor means that the group game against Pakistan will likely prove an easier assignment than the ones against Australia and Sri Lanka. The Lankans have always been a real handful, while the Australians’ reliance on pace will be a bit more to NZ’s liking.