What the Black Caps need to do
Get over the doom and gloom quickly. New Zealand are all but assured of another World Cup semifinal.
It’s been a poor week for the Black Caps against two other semifinalists, you can’t deny that. But it’s all irrelevant now.
Whether the washout against India was pivotal or not, New Zealand did enough good work early in the tournament to all but secure a semifinal spot. Six other sides would love to be in the position New Zealand are in, two wins away from lifting the trophy.
New Zealand must believe it’s a game of fine margins that can turn on a knife-edge. The arm ball from Mitchell Santner to Jason Roy, first ball, swung late and beat the inside edge and Tom Latham’s gloves. A centimetre or two and it clips leg stump and there’s no England opening stand of 123.
Kane Williamson’s run out, off Mark Wood’s fingernail, showed how the game can swing quickly, often on a stroke of luck.
Lockie Ferguson’s lastminute exclusion changed the dynamic of the Black Caps’ attack. No Ferguson, no Ish Sodhi, therefore no real variety after the 10-over mark. Matt Henry and Tim Southee are fine bowlers, but their strength is with the new ball – neither take on that enforcer role through the middle overs.
Williamson desperately needed a wicket as England were flying and after rotating the bowling options on offer he identified the need to bring back Trent Boult earlier than usual. Boult picked up two key wickets, the second with a superbly executed knuckleball to deceive the destructive Jos Buttler.
Jimmy Neesham will gain confidence from another good performance at the bowling crease, as will the captain who saw the benefits of using Boult as his attacking option through the middle overs when under the pump.
New Zealand’s fightback with the ball was soon eclipsed by a tough start with the bat. At first glance Henry Nicholls’ lbw to Chris Woakes was high; at second glance it was higher. After consulting Martin Guptill it was a very strange non-review from Nicholls. This summed up the batting group’s mindset. It’s all about being decisive and committing fully; that type of indecision needs to change quickly.
New Zealand have been consistently timid with the bat. Latham was a good example of that. In the early games his footwork was limited and he looked like he was searching to spend time at the crease; he showed promising signs at Lord’s, then at Chester-le-Street he moved nicely, stuck to his gameplan and was looking to score from the start.
Guptill is such an important player but he looks like he’s searching for a score and I don’t think New Zealand can afford that. They need him to take the
opposition on. If it doesn’t work so be it – at least we would have fired a shot.
For New Zealand it’s a fourth successive trip to the World Cup semifinals, and the only difference between now and four years ago when we were unbeaten is ‘‘form’’ and ‘‘momentum’’. These two words are often used as reasons why we won’t progress any further, but these can both change in a heartbeat. Only if the players genuinely believe it.
The leaders just need to provide a clear path forward, a where to from here? Keep it simple, go back to your gameplan: what’s my role, what am I good at, and commit to it.
Only three or four players have equalled or exceeded expectations so far in this tournament. Williamson and Ferguson for sure, Neesham and Boult have both had more than one or two good moments each.
If New Zealand can turn that into six or seven players who stand up and contribute, they could be playing a second World Cup final next Sunday.
Should they make changes for Australia at Old Trafford? Because the selectors showed a lot of faith in players, and rightly so, there aren’t a lot of options now. It’s more about the mindset and making sure we’re fully committed in everything we do.
Shifting Latham up to open, and Nicholls down to the middle, is worth considering because
Latham’s game enables him to bat anywhere.
Ferguson’s likely return leaves a choice between Henry, who bowled beautifully against England, and Southee. It was a tough ask for Tim to come in, having not played since the India warmup game on May 25. He struggled at the start but came back well at the death. If it’s going to swing again then I’d say Southee, if it’s flat then Henry has had more recent game time and should play.
One thing worth considering is the tradition we have before every test match of bringing in somebody of significance from outside the group to present the
caps and have a chat. That’s not a slight on anyone or a sign of weakness, but often those people invited offer a fresh perspective and can stimulate your thinking.
If the coach and captain believe that’s needed then you couldn’t pick a more relevant person than Brendon McCullum to offer some input at this point in the tournament. He might just provide that little spark and boost in confidence the team needs.
Mike Hesson was head coach of the Black Caps from 2012-2018, and was at the helm for their first World Cup final in 2015. He will be writing regular columns for Stuff during the World Cup.