New Zealand's Juggernaut Lights Up Early Stage of World Cup 2015

Three out of three - New Zealand team is off and running in the World Cup. Correction, they've taken the tournament by storm and their captain, Brendon McCullum is leading from the front. What happened to England at Wellington on Friday was mind-boggling. On a good batting track, England folded for a paltry 123 and then, the McCullum show began.

After their indifferent performance against Scotland, McCullum demanded an improved performance from his side. The Kiwis obliged - they came, they saw and they plundered. After a masterful display of swing bowling from Tim Southee left England in ruins, McCullum knocked the stuffing out of the Englishmen with a vicious knockout punch. He smashed the fastest fifty of the World Cup and if this was a boxing bout, the referee would have stopped the fight midway. (Southee, Brendon McCullum Destroy England in Wellington)

The only thing that didn't go New Zealand's way was the toss. Since then, it was the Black Caps all the way. They played the perfect game - they pitched the ball where they wanted, pulled off excellent catches and then topped it off with the 'McCullum Mayhem'.

The perfect game was a result of perfect planning and McCullum displayed his leadership with aplomb. Southee bowled superbly but McCullum's captaincy made him look even better. England got off to a poor start but it wasn't abysmal - at 104/4 after 25 overs, the situation was recoverable, especially with Joe Root at the crease. Root has the ability to milk the bowling and consolidate but there was one problem. McCullum didn't give England an inch. He refused to take his foot off their throat, brought back his strike bowler, put in three slips and went for the kill. (Southee's 7/33 Best by a Kiwi in ODIs)

This New Zealand side has excellent players on their roster but they owe their recent success to their skipper, McCullum. He's not only the captain but also the real superstar in the team, the player with the x-factor for the big matches. McCullum has been on the scene for a long time but hardly lived up to his potential. For the major part of his career, he was the tattooed maverick who would charge down the track, connect a few and then play a bad shot to get out. Dubbed as 'McSlogga', he was viewed as a cultured slogger!

However, captaincy has changed him and he has transformed New Zealand. He is an entertainer at heart and his team is putting up a show. He's on a mission to improve and his side is following his footsteps. He has finally, grasped his value to this team and over the last two years, has churned out some jaw-dropping batting displays without changing his approach to the game. (McCullum Hits Fastest World Cup Fifty)

His attacking instinct with the bat has rubbed on his captaincy as well. In the era of 'let's stifle the runs', he goes for the wickets. What happened to England on Friday was substantial proof of the change in attitude that McCullum has brought to this side - they don't want to just win, they want to send a message, they want to decimate the opposition. Hence, they are relentless. They have plans and they have the skills to execute them. They bowl in the correct channels, field with immense intensity and then unleash the blitzkrieg named "Brendon".

New Zealand has always been a fine side and yet, they have always lacked imagination, failed to grab the initiative and never improved on their performances. This McCullum-led side is improving every day and at a rapid pace. They have opened up quite a gulf between them and the other sides and if the England match is something to go by, the rest of the sides should be afraid, very afraid.

From here on, it's New Zealand's Cup to lose and on current form, they should be run-away winners but then again, are they playing too well, too soon?

New Zealand team right now is flexing its muscles and their form looks intimidating. The Black Caps juggernaut is steamrolling opponents but they are already into overdrive. However, the wins have veiled some small chinks. Scotland ran through their suspect middle-order while their bowling hasn't been tested, yet. And that one bad match is always lurking around the corner.

In a long tournament like the World Cup, teams need to pace themselves; they want to be stretched in the beginning so that at the back end, all parts of their machinery are well-oiled and click into gear, peaking at the correct time.

Most cricket fans around the world want the Kiwis to lift the Cup on their home soil because they are playing an exciting brand of cricket. For the fans' sake, let's hope that one bad match doesn't arrive during the knock-outs!