Published: Mar 21, 2015, 12:09 AM (IST)
Edited: Mar 23, 2015, 06:40 AM (IST)
New Zealand will go into the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 quarterfinal match against West Indies as favourites and you don’t have to be an expert to decipher that. One may argue that West Indies, on their day, can blow any team out of the water. Rishad D’Souza lists down five reasons why tomorrow won’t be that day.
West Indies opening woes: West Indies opening batting pair has been far from attractive. Chris Gayle and Dwayne Smith have struggled big time throughout the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 and even in series’ preceding that. The sad part is that Gayle is still unconfirmed due to an injury niggle. On an odd day, Gayle is capable of hitting out and decimating the opposition but it’s very unlikely that will happen tomorrow? Why? We’ll keep that for point 2. Preview: New Zealand vs West Indies
New Zealand opening bowling pair: Tim Southee and Trent Boult have formed a formidable new ball bowling pair which has prompted some to rank them with pairs like Dale Steyn-Vernon Philander. And they’ve certainly lived up to the praise in this tournament. The best part about the attack is that they’re in perfect sync. Boult steps up and gets the wickets when Southee is down and vice-versa. In face of such excellent bowling it is only providence that will allow West Indies opening pair to provide that odd good start. LIVE SCORECARD: New Zealand vs West Indies ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 quarter-final match
Brendon McCullum: McCullum makes it to the list single-handedly for two reasons – his captaincy and his destructive batting. Barring the last group-stage game against Bangladesh, he’s contributed with fast and handy runs up the order setting the perfect platform for New Zealand. His leadership has been very effective too, he has shown that he is capable of holding nerves and helps his team do the same. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: SCHEDULE & MATCH DETAILS
Home advantage: The match will be played at Westpac stadium, Wellington. It is on that very ground where New Zealand annihilated England and made a mockery of their bowling as well as batting. The ground has a great capacity and the New Zealand fans will most certainly get behind their team and spur them on for a repeat performance against a misfiring West Indies. Boult and Southee are likely to make merry at the ground. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Complete Coverage
Jason Holder’s captaincy: Jason Holder was crowned as captain late last year after Dwayne Bravo was dethroned following a fall-out with West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). Holder’s run as captain has been horrid. West Indies suffered a 4-1 drubbing at the hands of South Africa in Holder’s first series at the helm. Their journey in the World Cup has seen ups and downs but inconsistency has been relentless. In fact West Indies would not have even made it to the knock-out stages had it not been for their net run-rate. Holder has shown glimpses of improvement and there’s no denying that he could evolve into a great leader moving forward. But in a pressure game against the tournament favourites in their own backyard, he is likely to be left clueless. READ: Darren Sammy compares New Zealand vs West Indies quarter-final match to Buster Douglas vs Mike Tyson boxing match
(Rishad D’Souza, a reporter with CricketCountry, gave up hopes of playing Test cricket after a poor gully-cricket career. He now reports on the sport. You can follow @RishadDsouza on Twitter)
