Semifinal showdown
Form, history and bookies all against the Black Caps … but they’re just two wins from the World Cup title
The Black Caps will be exploring any possible advantage ahead of the knockout stage of the Cricket World Cup but their search would be well advised to avoid the history books.
New Zealand have progressed to the semifinals of the 2019 edition, where they will play India tomorrow night, but they’ll need to accomplish a feat unprecedented in 44 years of Cup cricket if captain Kane Williamson is to lift the trophy at Lord’s in eight days.
The Black Caps are coming into the semifinals on the back of three straight losses, with their batsmen failing in disappointing performances against Pakistan, Australia and England to conclude the group stage.
They’re the first team to make a World Cup knockout stage having lost their previous three games, which says plenty on its own about how difficult their task will be, especially against an Indian side that has lost just once all tournament.
However, underlining that is the fact history does not take kindly to teams that enter the World Cup knockout stages having lost their previous match.
On 16 occasions, a team has come into the knockout stage of the World Cup off the back of a loss — and none have ever won the title.
Those 16 outfits produced a 4-12 record in their first World Cup knockout game, with only three of the teams — 1975 Australia, 1992 England and 1996 Australia — making the final.
There, none of those sides could get over the line, meaning the Black Caps will have to be the first in World Cup history to overcome a preknockout loss — and a historic streak of losses at that.
Add in the specifics of New Zealand’s defeats — two of which came against fellow semifinalists, while they didn’t even play India due to a washout — and a Black Caps title would go down as one of the World Cup’s greatest turnarounds.
Black Caps coach Gary Stead is adamant improvements are necessary but optimistic his side can turn the tables.
“We haven’t played our best cricket but we’ve also played some very good cricket at times. We just need to try and put a complete performance together,” said Stead.
“If we want to be the best, we’ve got to show we can stand up and find a way and fight against these guys as well. I have no doubts the capabilities are there in our side.
“From here, anything can happen when you’re two games away.”
Stead is right — anything could happen. But 44 years of history suggests a Black Caps World Cup triumph is unlikely to be one of them.