New Zealand’s Cricket World Cup Battle for the Glory
New Zealand cricket share a special bonding with ICC tournaments. They have appeared in all editions of the World Cup including the inaugural edition in 1975. They have reached semi-finals 5 times. And they have also won the ICC Champions Trophy in the year 2000 besides ending up at runners-up position in the 2009 edition.
Coming back to their World Cup performance, New Zealand cricket got off to a good start by reaching back to back semi-finals in the year 1975 and 1979 but got defeated by West Indies and England respectively. The next two editions was a forgettable tour for them but they staged a strong comeback in the year 1992 to reach the semi-finals but got beaten by Pakistan. Then after seven years, they once again reached the semi-finals in 1999 but again lost at the hands of Pakistan. Then again in 2007, they somehow managed to reach the semi-finals only to be eliminated by Sri Lanka. Similar thing happened in 2011, where they were once again beaten by Sri Lanka. New Zealand’s batting department had failed them in both the games.
Fondly known as the BLACK CAPS, the New Zealand cricket has been traditionally blessed with some really skilled players of the game. And luckily for them, their current pool also features some fantastic players. With a brutal Brendon McCullum and explosive Jesse Ryder at the top, New Zealand has the most exciting opening combination in the world of limited overs cricket. In Ross Taylor, they have a matured cricketer who can switch positions in the batting line-up plus change his style of play according to the situation of the game. New Zealand also have enough bowling options and also some fine all-rounders, who can prove to be a boom in ODI’s. But nevertheless it will be New Zealand’s batting department, which will be the key for them. And with some fascinating new entrants like Nathan McCullum and Richard Levi, the scenario only gets more exhilarating.
But before the 2015 World Cup, they have their own little issues to sort off. The team is still in the building-up phase. New Captain Brendon McCullum has to show his faith in his team mates and bring out the best from them. Since there are few senior players in the team, he has to make sure there aren’t any ego issues around also. Jesse Ryder brings a lot of value to the team, but his off-field controversies continue to restrain his career. But if all the issues are addressed well, this could be New Zealand’s opportunity to go for the big shot, after all the hard work they have done all these years. And don’t forget that they are the co-hosts with Australia in the 2015 World Cup, so it won’t be easy at all, for any team to beat the BLACK CAPS in their own cricket crazy backyard.
