World Cup 2015: Exciting New Zealand's Best Shot at Glory
New Zealand have been in six semifinals in ten World Cups but are yet to reach the final. Can Brendon McCullum turn the tide to give his team a shot at glory?
- Prakash Govindasreenivasan
- Updated: February 15, 2015 10:05 PM IST
New Zealand's tryst with the 50-over World Cup is a classic case of a double-edged sword. Making six semifinals in ten editions since 1975 speaks volumes of their consistency in cricket's showpiece event, but also exposes their inability to perform well in knockout fixtures and have a real go at the coveted trophy. (Fixtures | Teams | Players | Venues | History)
On current form, the Black Caps look strong enough to give heavy-weights like Australia and South Africa a serious run for their money. Under the leadership of the charismatic Brendon McCullum, the Kiwis have done well to establish themselves as one of the contenders for the World Cup title. (Team India gets a rousing reception)
McCullum may not have had the best start to his life as skipper since taking over under controversial circumstances in 2012, but the 33-year-old has managed to imbibe his flamboyant ways with the willow into his captaincy. A relatively inexperienced side has reveled under McCullum's modern-day captaincy mantra of leading by example. (Also read: Security scare ahead of tournament)
In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, ex-Kiwi skipper and the oldest member of the Kiwi squad, Daniel Vettori was quoted saying, "For someone like me, I gravitate towards an example. If his standards are that high, then we can't go below that can we? Particularly as a bowler, when you have the captain trying so hard and throwing himself into the hoardings it really means you want your performance to elevate to the same level as his." (Disaster plants seeds for New Zealand dream)
Reputation and Home Advantage
New Zealand may not begin the tournament as the out-and-out favourites but have done enough in the last 15 months to turn the attention of the Rugby-loving nation towards cricket.
The last time a World Cup was played in Australia and New Zealand, Martin Crowe's Kiwis were the best side in the group stage. With 456 runs, Crowe was the most prolific batsman and rightfully won the Man-of the-Series award. His team, however, bottled under pressure and lost in the semis to the eventual cup winners Pakistan. After scoring 91, a hamstrung Crowe watched from the stands as the Kiwis failed deal with a young Inzamam-ul-Haq's late-order surge (60 off 37 balls) and lost by four wickets and an over to spare.ÂÂ
Pakistan proved to be the thorn in their flesh once again in a semifinal exit in 1999. In 2007, Stephen Fleming's side won eight out of 10 matches before crashing out in the semis.
The first hurdle for McCullum will be to take the six-time semifinalists to their seventh and then aim to help his team shed the long-attached tag of "also-rans" and the "perennial semifinalists."
Exciting and Entertaining but Big Match Temperament?
Much like the current Belgium national football team, the Kiwi line-up is filled with players who have the potential to go on and become superstars in the near future. However, potential is only one of the many vital chapters of a successful story.
Young top-order batsman Kane Williamson is being touted as one to watch out for in the tournament. With just 65 ODIs to his name, it is still very early days for the 24-year-old. Purely based on his game so far, one reckons he has the potential to be as effective and successful as the likes of Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers for South Africa in the near future.
There is experience in the form of Martin Guptill, Brendan McCullum and Ross Taylor, who have time and again, showcased their ability to play to the situation and give the younger players a bit of cushion to perform without cluttered minds.
Big-hitters Corey Anderson and Luke Ronchi can give New Zealand crucial late-order surges and are handy game-changing options in the lower-middle order. In the bowling department, Kiwis pace quartet of Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Adam Milne and Mitchell McClenaghan seen to have the right ingredients to dismantle some of the best batting line-ups on conducive wickets at home.
In an era heavily dominated by big-hitting batsmen and when 350 is no more an unimaginable ODI total, a miserly spinner is a captain's trump card. Veteran left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori, who will feature in his fifth World Cup, will be McCullum's go-to man in times of need. When his younger quick bowlers fail, Vettori can come in and hold fort from one end. Vettori's inclusion will also help in calming nerves ahead of a big match in a dressing room brimming with inexperienced talent.
The format of the World Cup - which has two groups of seven teams each, gives big teams an easy passage into the knockout stages. If the tournament moves on without any major upsets, the Kiwis will face one of the four - South Africa, India, Pakistan or West Indies - in quarters. That's where the real test for the Kiwis will begin. It will be their performance from then on that will separate the men from the boys.
The Belgian football side travelled to Brazil for FIFA World Cup 2014 with some of the most talented tyros in the world amongst them. However, their quick and nimble feet at club level across several European leagues succumbed to the pressures of the big stage. Belgium, who were expected to set the tournament alight with some exciting football, suffered an anti-climatic 1-0 defeat in the quarters to finalists Argentina.
Can the McCullum-led Kiwis, filled with similar young talent, succeed where the Belgians failed? Can McCullum achieve what greats like Martin Crowe and Stephen Fleming couldn't?