Beware of New Zealand
I had sent out a warning a few days ago in my pre World Cup post. I had mentioned that New Zealand was one of the team’s to beware. England, the defending champions unfortunately did not pay heed to my assessment and were bitterly surprised. A slightly casual England bordering on the impudent were put to the sword by a swaggering New Zealand on Day 1 of the World Cup. The Kiwis made a belligerent statement in Ahmedabad putting all other teams on notice.
Disciplined Black Caps
It was a good toss to win in the end for the Black Caps as they chose to bowl. Affected with injuries galore New Zealand went in with just two genuine pace bowlers in Trent Boult and Matt Henry and the spin of Mitch Santner. The rest of the overs had to be covered by not-so-regular bowlers. This was a great challenge against the mighty England batting lineup. But the Kiwis bowled brilliantly. The pace bowlers gave nothing to drive. They bowled a near-perfect length with great accuracy. There was no room to play freely. Mitch Santner too bowled an exceptional spell. Not a single boundary could be scored by the English in his 10 overs, which speaks volumes of his performance.
A Complacent England
England scored in a stop-start manner and never gained momentum. The batters, appearing complacent to many, played lot many loose shots and succumbed at crucial times. Regular fall of wickets put the brakes on and England could muster only 282 on an extremely good track. At the halfway mark the score still looked good and with the bowling attack England has, the target appeared challenging. However, what eventually transpired was beyond anyone’s ideas.
Scintillating Reply Amidst a Lacklustre England Bowling
In their chase, New Zealand lost Will Young in the second over and in came the young Rachin Ravindra to join Devon Conway in the middle and soon followed an exhibition of breathtaking, simply sublime and ominous batting prowess. There was some poor bowling too. The quicks particularly Mark Wood were wavered and Chris Woakes trying to find the non-existent swing was too full at times. Conway and Ravindra were timing personified, playing some exquisite drives and finding the gaps at will. The scoreboard was moving on a canter with a flurry of boundaries from both ends.
Conway-Ravindra : A Feast of Exquisite Batting
There was no slogging at all. The ball was never bludgeoned but just caressed showcasing sublime skills. The English Spinners did not have any answers either with a bit of dew making it more difficult. But whatever was thrown at New Zealand, Conway and Ravindra were up to it and played a chanceless innings. They were so determined to take their team home, that England never got even a sniff of a chance and by the 20th over, English shoulders were already beginning to drop. The Kiwis had virtually made a joke of the target and finished the match in just 36.2 overs, with the two left-handers stitching together a mammoth 273-run partnership. It was a real hammering indeed. A total annihilation.
New Zealand Up and Running
Winning in such quick time has given New Zealand a tremendous headstart with a terrific net run rate which may come in handy if there is a scramble for the top 4 positions in the end. England has lots to think about. They were totally outplayed and would require a great lift when they take the field next.
Read Quick, Read Better @ rizkhan.in
Featured Image : Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway . A brilliant partnership.
Hope Riz Khan will cover all the matches. His incisive comments are a treat to read !
Thank you so much