Published: Mar 20, 2015, 06:54 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 20, 2015, 06:54 PM (IST)
New Zealand will host West Indies in the fourth quarter-final of this ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 at Wellington. New Zealand are unbeaten so far and despite facing a resurgent West Indies, they go as favourites into the game. Nikhil Popat has a look at 5 possible contests which could be a deciding factor in the game.
Chris Gayle vs Trent Boult: It is not rocket science, Chris Gayle is yet to get going against a top side in this ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. There is a chance that he might not even play but the kind of player that he is, the Windies may push him to play since it is a knock-out game. Trent Boult has been magnificent with the new ball, making it swing at pace and has already picked up a lot of wickets. If Gayle gets going against him, the Kiwis might have to run for cover but if not, Boult might as well run through the Windies batting line-up before they even know.
Brendon McCullum vs Sulieman Benn: Brendon McCullum, in this ICC World Cup 2015 has been breathing fire both with the bat and his captaincy. His aggressive approach at the top of the order has put teams off often. In the last pool game though, Shakib Al Hasan got through him early as he tried to go after them but couldn’t get the desired result. Benn may not have had as much success as Benn but If Holder has done his homework right, he might as well play him and start with him to get the better of McCullum.
Kane Williamson vs Jason Holder: Kane Williamson has been the wall for the Black Caps for some time now. With the skipper getting all the attention, he has slipped under the radar. They needed his services in the game against Australia and he came good. After that, he hasn’t quite had the run he would have wished for and he might just be itching to get going. Jason Holder, the Windies captain has had a tough time managing his team but has led the team well with the ball. His spell against UAE was very good, yes it was against a lower ranked team but such performances can lift you up. He gets good bounce and carry and if he can get past Williamson early, it might just set the tone for them.
Marlon Samuels vs Tim Southee: Marlon Samuels has had a ton before in this ICC World Cup 2015 but it came against a hapless Zimbabwean bowling attack when Chris Gayle was clobbering them all over the park scoring a double ton. He is likely to face the new ball attack from the Kiwis and given that he loves to stay on his back foot, Tim Southee might be tempting to bowl to him. We all know what Southee did to England but he has gone off the boil off late and the Black Caps would not mind him stepping up tomorrow in a do-or-die encounter.
Andre Russell vs Corey Anderson: In the battle of the all-rounders, both Andre Russell and Corey Anderson have had decent success so far and put in crucial performances. Andre Russell on his day can take on any attack and hit them all over the park and coming in the end overs, he might as well be too much to handle for the Kiwis. Corey Anderson is a similar all-rounder who loves to hit big but does not quite bowl that well. Though he averages just 13.10 with the ball, those wickets have not quite been match turning ones. Both he and Anderson are likely to face each other in both the innings and whoever outshines the other would make a big difference to their team’s fortune.
(Nikhil Popat is a cricket lover and a PotterHead, who loves to be himself, and is not shy of expressing himself. He can be followed on Twitter @CricCrazyNIKS)
