ANALYSIS
Follow UsIt might be a common tendency to term New Zealand underdogs and nice guys who always slip under the radar in the mega ICC events, but the aphorisms have continued for a while to subvert it into a pattern. Be it the all-home campaign leading them to the finals of the 2015 World Cup to luck favouring them at the right time in the league stage of the 2019 edition - there was always something else to focus on.
Come 2023, what would be their story? Will it be one of joy or agony? Will it be a story of third-time charm creating magic or the same old heartbreak?
We have time for that but two matches into the World Cup, New Zealand have shown that they mean business. If the Ahmedabad win against England was a statement of intent, then by getting the better of the Netherlands by a margin of 99 runs, the Tasman nation proved why they wouldn’t be an easy nut to crack in the upcoming days.
Back-ups turn up and how!
As a unit, New Zealand have always preferred to play percentage cricket. They didn’t have Kane Williamson and Tim Southee for the first two matches, but it didn’t stop them from having a four-point boost to their campaign with a run-rate that sits on the borderline craziness.
If it was about Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra piling England under pressure in a partnership of 273 runs in Ahmedabad, on Monday, Will Young turned up to end Netherlands ambitions. Sure, the Dutch bowlers were all over the place the entire time and gave away too many easy balls up front, but the two-paced nature of the wicket had dangers written on it.
Thus, Young employed a more calculative approach in dispatching anything overpitched and letting go of the short balls. He eventually was dismissed by a bumper, but during the course of the 77-run partnership with Rachin, they had laid out the foundation.
If not for an injury to Williamson, one of them would now have to sit out of both matches; but now, they have made it really difficult for all stakeholders. But teams don’t really mind a happy headache in a tournament like the World Cup, and that perhaps will be something that Kiwi fans can be cheerful about.
Santner - New Zealand’s silent hero
In all honesty, there was nothing that Mitchell Santner would want to remember about last night. As he admitted himself later in the post-match presentation, he didn’t even bowl well, but as history would have it, he became the first Kiwi spinner to take a five-wicket haul in World Cups.
In a bowling line-up that typically comprises Trent Boult, Tim Southee, and Matt Henry as the lead cast, the role of Santner has often been relegated to a question of viability. In the set-up where your usefulness is only restricted to a specific condition, you can’t be a one-trick pony.
Despite a bowling average of 36.8 in ODIs, Santner continues to be one of the most important members of the side. Even in unfavorable conditions, he hardly drops the ball when it comes to economy rate - a career ER of 4.9 tells you that. It helps the more flashy pacers to pick wickets from the other end.
Sure, it was not the most aggrandizing display of bowling - he went for a lot of runs against Colin Ackermann and Scott Edwards, but by eventually ending up with five wickets, he underlined the importance of patience. The five-wicket haul notwithstanding, he once again played a crucial role in helping New Zealand cross the 300-run mark with a knock of 36 runs off just 17 balls. Talk about doing everything for the team.
