Published: Mar 20, 2015, 11:15 AM (IST)
Edited: Mar 20, 2015, 05:02 PM (IST)
ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 co-hosts New Zealand take on West Indies in the third quarter-final at Wellington on Saturday. New Zealand have been one of the the most dominant teams throughout the tournament, having won all their games in the group stage. They managed to win most of the games with ease and squeezed through with a one-wicket win over Australia in a low-scoring match. LIVE SCORECARD: New Zealand vs West Indies ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 quarter-final match
West Indies, on the other hand, have had a contrasting tournament. They started off their campaign with a shocking loss against Ireland, despite scoring more than 300 but redeemed themselves after beating Pakistan in the next game. After losses against South Africa and India, they beat Zimbabwe and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to just about make it to the knockout stages on the basis of a better net run rate than Ireland. READ: Darren Sammy compares New Zealand vs West Indies quarter-final match to Buster Douglas vs Mike Tyson boxing match
New Zealand have had everything going for them. Regardless of the situation, skipper Brendon McCullum has always managed to get his team off to a flying start. His opening partner, Martin Guptill, has managed to support him well so far. He has a century to his name and has quietly gone about his job. Their middle-order has fired too, whenever they’ve gotten the chance. Kane Williamson has been in good form with a healthy average close to 46. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: SCHEDULE & MATCH DETAILS
Other players like Ross Taylor and Corey Anderson have played their part whenever they’ve been required. Anderson has scored 158 runs till now, despite batting lower down the order and also managed to pickup 10 wickets. Trent Boult has been the star with the ball for the Black Caps, with 15 scalps to his name. Daniel Vettori and Tim Southee have fared well too, with the former having the best economy rate and the second best bowling average among Black Caps. Vettori was crucial in New Zealand’s win over Australia, having unnerved the opposition with his tight bowling. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Complete Coverage
For West Indies, the fitness of Chris Gayle is a big concern. If he gets going at the top, like he did against Zimbabwe, West Indies will no doubt get a huge score. He scored the first double century in the history of World Cup. Gayle, who missed his team’s previous game against UAE, has not been in the best of form otherwise. Top 10 wicketkeepers in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
The same holds true for Marlon Samuels as well. Other than the 133 not out against Zimbabwe, he hasn’t scored many runs otherwise. Jerome Taylor has been the best of the bowlers for the Caribbeans. He has 14 wickets to his name at an average of under 19. He will be entrusted to get West Indies off to a good start with the ball. Jason Holder and Kemar Roach have nine wickets apiece. Top 10 fielders in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
West Indies’s captain Holder has anchored the side’s batting in two particular occasions in the World Cup. As a result, he has the best batting average among West Indian cricketers in the World Cup. His back-to-back half-centuries against South Africa and India are probably the most notable batting performances in his whole limited-over career so far. Despite, West Indies ending on the losing side in both the matches, his part with the bat has portrayed how a leader should lead from the front. READ: India vs West Indies ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Jason Holder emulates Lance Klusener
Based on current form, New Zealand are surely favourites to win the match with ease. Added to this, they have favourable conditions at their disposal. West Indies, like they’ve already proved in this tournament are unpredictable. New Zealand have to be wary of this and make sure they are not complacent going into this game. Top 10 batsmen in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
Squads:
New Zealand: Brendon McCullum(c), Luke Ronchi(wk), Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Daniel Vettori, Kane Williamson, Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Adam Milne
West Indies: Jason Holder (c), Marlon Samuels (vc), Sulieman Benn, Darren Bravo, Jonathan Carter, Sheldon Cottrell, Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith, Jerome Taylor.
Time: 6.30 AM IST | 1:00 AM GMT
(Pramod Ananth is a reporter at CricketCountry. He has represented Karnataka table tennis under-15, and is a hardcore supporter of Liverpool FC. His Twitter handle is @pramz)
