Assessing state of the Black Caps
After four years of waiting, the Black Caps tonight play Sri Lanka in their Cricket World Cup opener. Niall Anderson analyses how they’re tracking ahead of the showdown in Cardiff
Preparation
The Black Caps’ build-up to the World Cup has been a mixed bag, perhaps perfectly encapsulated by their two warm-up games.
A dominant victory over India was followed by the West Indies shellacking the Kiwi bowlers for 421 in a similarly lopsided contest — continuing an undulating last few months.
There was the good — ODI series victories over Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and some quality showings for the New Zealand XI against Australia — and also the bad — a series defeat to India and the Indian Premier League leaving many of New Zealand’s stars with little game time ahead of the pinnacle event.
Injuries
It looks as if the scare caused by Tom Latham’s fractured finger has dissipated, thanks to a speedy recovery and the form of his stand-in, Tom Blundell.
Latham has been ramping up his glovework and looks a decent chance to be ready to face Sri Lanka tonight, but if he isn’t, then Blundell’s 106 off 89 balls against the West Indies will have quashed concerns the uncapped wicketkeeper will be out of his depth.
Colin Munro missed the West Indies encounter with a bruised foot but he and any others carrying a niggle still have two days of training in Cardiff to prove their fitness for the opener.
The squad
The fact the Black Caps don’t have a settled XI could be spun as a good thing (“We have competition for places”) but is hardly ideal.
Players have testified that a big part of the 2015 side’s run to the final was the fact that everyone knew their role, and while experimentation has a purpose, New Zealand coach Gary Stead surely would have preferred to have his opening batsmen and bowlers locked in a long time ago.
Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham and Trent Boult will be sure-fire starters in every game if fit, but the questions become trickier after that.
Will Henry Nicholls be given a serious run at the top of the order? Which seamers will partner Boult?
If only three of Jimmy Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi can play in any one game, who do you leave out? Versatility is a good trait but the Black Caps will have to be wary it doesn’t turn into a complication.
Opposition
Sri Lanka are well known to
New Zealand audiences after their summer in Aotearoa, but they have made some drastic changes to their ODI outfit. Three straight losses to the Black Caps — conceding 371, 319 and 364 — was a continuation of what has been a shocking ODI side for some time now. Sri Lanka have won just eight of their last 42 ODIs — half of which came against Bangladesh, Zimbabwe or Scotland.
So out went a plenitude of players — of the 11 who played in the last New Zealand ODI, only six made the Cup squad — replaced by several players who haven’t played an ODI in two years and a captain — Dimuth Karunaratne — who hasn’t won a oneday cap since 2015.
They still have some talent. The Perera duo — Kusal and Thisara — have already shown the Black Caps what they’re capable of, Angelo Mathews is back and Isuru Udana had some fun against South Africa but the Black Caps can’t lose this game if they’re to be viewed as a serious contender.
The ground
Unlike some of the wickets the Black Caps will be playing on at the World Cup, Sophia Gardens isn’t a batsman’s paradise but runs can still be had, as India showed early this week when they smashed 359-7 in a warm-up win over Bangladesh.
These days, almost any venue can be a conduit for big totals, but the Welsh ground’s ODI history suggests there could be some assistance for the bowlers in Cardiff tonight.
In the 24 ODIs played at the venue, the average score batting first is only 239, although that figure jumps to a still reasonable 284 when you factor in only games held in the past three years. Teams batting first also have only a 6-14-1 record, and depending on the wicket provided and the conditions overhead for the 10.30am local start, bowling first could be a profitable strategy.
Past results
New Zealand played in the first ODI at Sophia Gardens, beating Australia by five wickets with almost five overs to spare at the 1999 World Cup.
They then claimed victories over the West Indies (2004) and Sri Lanka (2013) there, but recent results haven’t been as rosy, losing to England in 2013, and in 2017 at the Champions Trophy, which was followed three days later by their stunning defeat to Bangladesh at the venue.
Kane Williamson has scored the most runs of any non-Englishman at the ground, with 227 in four innings.
The odds
The Black Caps are $1.30 favourites to start their campaign on a winning note.