Boundary-hitters key for Black Caps in semifinal
Amore aggressive Black Caps batting attack may prove the key in the first T20 World Cup semifinal in Sydney tonight.
New Zealand take on Pakistan for a place in the final for the second year running, with their increased rate of boundaries scored a key factor in topping their Super 12 group.
Opener Finn Allen has been given a licence to go after the bowlers from ball one, while the inform Glenn Phillips has also bolstered New Zealand’s ability to boost their runs in chunks of four and six.
In their four group matches in Australia at the 2022 tournament, the Black Caps have tallied 74 boundaries – 23 sixes and 51 fours. That’s one more than they managed in five group matches last year in the UAE, where they made the final before bowing to Australia.
New Zealand didn’t score more than 16 boundaries in a group game last year but have passed that mark
three times already in Australia, registering 23 in the opening-night win over the hosts and 21 against Ireland in their final Super 12 game.
Former head coach Mike Hesson, in predicting New Zealand will make the final and meet India, said he was impressed with the way the Black Caps have taken the tournament on.
‘‘Heading into it, I was worried about New Zealand being a little bit passive with the bat in particular – they haven’t been,’’ Hesson told Sky
Sport. ‘‘The openers are going to take the game on against Pakistan.’’
New Zealand may be wary that the Sydney Cricket Ground wicket won’t offer the same bounce and pace as some other World Cup venues have – spinners prospered best on a used pitch last week when England clinched their place in the second semifinal versus India to be contested in Adelaide tomorrow night.
But last year’s runners-up will still be likely to want to unleash Allen
and Phillips while Devon Conway and Kane Williamson take a more measured approach in the suddendeath encounter at a tournament where big team scores batting first have been rare.
While spin proved hard for the Sri Lanka and England batters to combat, that likely won’t be enough for Williamson and coach Gary
Stead to consider a three-man slow bowling unit by adding offspinning allrounder Michael Bracewell, who excelled against Pakistan in the warmup tri-series in Christchurch last month.
To do so would require leaving out either allrounder Jimmy Neesham – yet to bowl an over in the tournament – or speedster Lockie Ferguson. Neither have had stellar tournaments.
Instead, New Zealand will still boast Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi and rely on the variations and guile of Tim Southee and Trent Boult.
If Black Caps’ fans have been worried by the pace of Williamson’s innings, Pakistan’s followers must be terrified by the lack of form by skipper Babar Azam.
The opening bat has managed only 39 runs from five innings, and at a run-rate of 61.90.
However, the side which beat the Black Caps in the tri-series final has been buoyed by the return from injury of star quick Shaheen Shah Afridi. The left-armer took 4-22 against Bangladesh and looms as a major threat to New Zealand’s hopes of an immediate return to the final.*