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BENGALURU: New Zealand resemble a top-class bowling outfit when seasoned left-arm pacer Trent Boult makes breakthroughs with the new ball. That has been a rare sight in their first eight World Cup matches with the 34-year-old having struck just thrice in the first 10 overs. However, Boult rose to the task in the must-win game against Sri Lanka, scalping three wickets in his first five overs here on Thursday.
With the team in all likelihood set to meet India in the first semifinal in Mumbai, Boult seems to have found his mojo at a crucial juncture.This is a great sign for theBlack Caps, who also have Lockie Ferguson and Mitchell Santner – with 16 wickets in this World Cup – in their arsenal to back Boult.
The pacers will have a huge say at the Wankhede, especially if they get an opportunity to bowl under lights, as the numbers suggest. Of the four league matches played at the venue in this edition of the World Cup, teams batting second have lost early wickets to be reduced to 67/5 (England, 11.1 overs), 42/4 (Bangladesh, 11.5), 22/7 (Sri Lanka, 11.3) and 49/4 (Australia, 8.2 overs).
With Tim Southee and Boult’s ability to make the ball talk, a top quality contest is on the cards against the Men in Blue, who defeated the Black Caps by four wickets in Dharamshala last month. Boult, who has troubled India in the past with his swing, is aware of the in-form Indian batters, including Virat Kohli (543 runs) Rohit Sharma (442), but he believes pressure can get to the best of them.
“We’ve played India a number of times. They have quality players, who know the conditions well,” said the left-arm pacer. “(It’s) hard to comment on what the conditions will be at Wankhede, but history suggests it’s a good wicket. It was nice to have come up against India in Dharamshala. (Wankhede and Dharamshala) totally different ground and different facilities, so we’ll turn our focus to the challenge. India has very good players, but pressure does things to the best of players.”
The Kiwis bowling attack is, however, not a one-horse pony. Ferguson, an aggressive bowler, can rattle any opposition with his express pace. Southee is yet to find his rhythm, but he can be dangerous with the new ball. Add to this the proven abilities of Santner. His economy rate of 4.81 reflects his skill-set to pressurise opponents.
New Zealand will head into the contest against India with confidence, courtesy their superior head-to-head record in ICC events. They were the only team to defeat eventual champions India in the 2007 T20 World Cup. In the 2016 World T20 too, New Zealand got the better of India in the league phase. More importantly they ended India’s 2019 World Cup run with a 18-run win in the semifinals. The question is, will New Zealand tame a red-hot Indian line-up at home next week?
With the team in all likelihood set to meet India in the first semifinal in Mumbai, Boult seems to have found his mojo at a crucial juncture.This is a great sign for theBlack Caps, who also have Lockie Ferguson and Mitchell Santner – with 16 wickets in this World Cup – in their arsenal to back Boult.
The pacers will have a huge say at the Wankhede, especially if they get an opportunity to bowl under lights, as the numbers suggest. Of the four league matches played at the venue in this edition of the World Cup, teams batting second have lost early wickets to be reduced to 67/5 (England, 11.1 overs), 42/4 (Bangladesh, 11.5), 22/7 (Sri Lanka, 11.3) and 49/4 (Australia, 8.2 overs).
With Tim Southee and Boult’s ability to make the ball talk, a top quality contest is on the cards against the Men in Blue, who defeated the Black Caps by four wickets in Dharamshala last month. Boult, who has troubled India in the past with his swing, is aware of the in-form Indian batters, including Virat Kohli (543 runs) Rohit Sharma (442), but he believes pressure can get to the best of them.
“We’ve played India a number of times. They have quality players, who know the conditions well,” said the left-arm pacer. “(It’s) hard to comment on what the conditions will be at Wankhede, but history suggests it’s a good wicket. It was nice to have come up against India in Dharamshala. (Wankhede and Dharamshala) totally different ground and different facilities, so we’ll turn our focus to the challenge. India has very good players, but pressure does things to the best of players.”
The Kiwis bowling attack is, however, not a one-horse pony. Ferguson, an aggressive bowler, can rattle any opposition with his express pace. Southee is yet to find his rhythm, but he can be dangerous with the new ball. Add to this the proven abilities of Santner. His economy rate of 4.81 reflects his skill-set to pressurise opponents.
New Zealand will head into the contest against India with confidence, courtesy their superior head-to-head record in ICC events. They were the only team to defeat eventual champions India in the 2007 T20 World Cup. In the 2016 World T20 too, New Zealand got the better of India in the league phase. More importantly they ended India’s 2019 World Cup run with a 18-run win in the semifinals. The question is, will New Zealand tame a red-hot Indian line-up at home next week?
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