World Cup: New Zealand learn to rewrite winning script as top guns misfire

In a long tournament stretching over six weeks, there will come occasions when the top guns of the teams misfire and the support act has to carry the day. There will be times when the script that you stuck with for matches on end will have to be rewritten and newer match-winners need to be identified. Today was one such day for New Zealand when taking on Bangladesh at Seddon Park, Hamilton. New Zealand’s world class bowlers Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Daniel Vettori, amongst the highest wicket takers in the tournament, have made the job quite easy for Brendon McCullum and the rest of the crew by blowing out the opposition in all their matches. In the six first round games in pool play, New Zealand bowlers on average have pegged the opposition at 40/2 at the end of the first powerplay. It was no different today as Boult prized out two early wickets with perfect pearlers, and Bangladesh were 29/2 having lost both the openers. [caption id=“attachment_2152661” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  New Zealand’s world class bowlers Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Daniel Vettori, amongst the highest wicket takers in the tournament, have made the job quite easy for Brendon McCullum and the rest of the crew. AFP[/caption] Before the last game of the first round vs Bangladesh, New Zealand had sent down 225.5 overs of which the aforementioned trio handled 137.4 overs, taking 38 of the 50 wickets between them. As it happens in such scenarios, the back up bowlers do not get much work and fall out of the habit of taking wickets. And it showed today. With Mitchell McCleneghan, who hadn’t figured in any of the games, coming in for the unfit Adam Milne, he showed plenty of rust. Even as Corey Anderson did a commendable job backing up with 2/43 in 10 overs, McClenghan and Elliot — sharing the 5th bowler’s duty — went for 95 runs. Such figures usually lead to a defeat but New Zealand were bailed out by the battling lower order. May be it was that they had already sealed their top spot in the quarterfinals or may be it was the less fancied Bangladesh, but New Zealand seemed off in all facets of the game. McCullum admitted as much and stated that they ought to do much better than their performance today: “We were a little bit untidy in all three facets of the game. Credit to (Bangladesh) for putting up a big score, but in the end, we have to be better than that. Sometimes you are not always going to be on. I thought our awareness and our attention in the field could have been improved.” Bangladesh posted the highest total of any team facing New Zealand and were the only team not to be bowled out as well (288/7). Southee was unlucky not to have a wicket today as he had an easy catch dropped off him, but that only extended his wicketless drought since trapping David Warner LBW in Eden Park two weeks ago. Perhaps even McCullum, who is always on the money with his moves on the field, was off today since he had to resort to Elliott bowling the 50th over, with the frontline bowler McClenaghan still having two overs to bowl. Such minor mistakes could cost them a game quite easily in the knockout stage. With a huge chase in front of them, New Zealand had to rely on batsmen apart from McCullum or Kane Williamson to see them through. Martin Guptill hit a professional hundred; the scratchy Ross Taylor continued his scratchy form but got a valuable fifty; the lower order of Vettori and Southee brought the win home with some late lusty hitting to allow New Zealand a clean sheet at the end of the first round. It indeed shows the depth in the New Zealand side that at the time of dire need, other people stood up to the task. It will go a long way in boosting the overall confidence of the squad, with a bit of exposure in the middle and the faith that they could come through when pushed into a tight corner. In the cracker-jack of a contest two weeks ago vs Australia, even the small chase of 151 looked positively Himalayan but the serene calm of Williamson finished the game for the Blackcaps. Today, with a tall score facing them, and Williamson punched out early, the rest of the batsmen needed to chip in. That’s two games out of six that New Zealand were made to sweat and Southee appeared to think they have taken positives from the Australia game in handling a tight run chase. “I think all the guys learnt from the Aussie game in Auckland and just the pressure that comes with a nervous run chase.” With all their bases covered in terms of skills, it was important for New Zealand to go through a test to check the form of the rest of the line up, besides the headliners. The fact they have come through unscathed ought to put them in good stead, and ready for the sterner examinations expected in the knockout stage.