New Zealand T20 Squad has been announced and there are few surprises. Yep, there are surprise exclusions and inclusions. On top of that, the world saw New Zealand abandoning the Pakistan tour. This has infuriated Pakistan Cricket Fans. This has already made the world cup interesting. Let’s dive right into the analysis of Squad:
New Zealand T20 Squad: Time for some Analysis
New Zealand T20 Squad was announced three months before T20 Worldcup. New Zealand Board announced their 15 man squad with one traveling reserve for the T20 World Cup 2021.
The T20 World Cup is scheduled to begin in November and New Zealand is in Group B along with Asian teams i.e India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and two qualifier teams.
New Zealand Bowlers for T20 Worldcup
In an attempt to win the Men’s T20 World Cup for the first time, New Zealand Squad has some good bowlers that feature in the top 10 bowling ranking of ICC as well. Tim Southee, Mitchel Santner, and Ish Sodhi all are in the ICC top 10 bowling ranking. Other top guns are Trent Boult, Kyle Jemison, Lockie Ferguson, and Todd Astle.
Trent Boult was the 3rd highest wicket-taker of the Indian Premier League 2020 that was played in the UAE and The World cup shifting in UAE from India due to covid -19 conditions makes this bowling group more dangerous.
Must See Pakistan Squad for T20 Worldcup and why People are criticizing it.
New Zealand Batsmen for T20 World Cup:
New Zealand has a strong batting lineup. Their key player will be Kane Williamson. The skipper has to lead the team from the front to make his team qualify for finals. His experience in playing in UAE will also help in adjusting the conditions. Devon Conway is their best batsman which the world should notice. If you look at ICC T20 rankings, he is currently at the number 5 spot in ICC batsmen rankings. But the left-handed opening batsmen lack experience in these conditions. Batting is an issue in New Zealand T20 Squad for World Cup.
Tom Latham is another stylish left-handed batsman. But he needs a reliable partner in addition to Kane Williamson.
Experienced Martin Guptill is also there who currently ranks 12 in ICC batsmen’s ranking. However, Martin Guptill’s record is not impressive in UAE. His score in the last five matches is 0,5,43,4,6 that he played for Karachi Kings in Pakistan Super League.
All Rounders:
Mark Chapman, Jimmy Neesham, and Daryl Mitchell are the all-rounders in the squad. They are not considered the best all-rounders in the world but have the potential to deliver when it matters the most.
Moreover, Tim Seifert and Glenn Phillips are the wicket Keeper batsmen included in the squad. They both made their impact in international cricket early on in their career as hard-hitting batsmen. Glenn Phillips has recently scored the fastest century for the blackcaps against West Indies. He scored 108 runs on 50 balls at the strike rate of 216. That is the reason they both are part of the biggest domestic tournament globally i.e Indian Premier League.
- Ross Taylor and Colin Munro are the two players that are not selected in the squad.
Surprise Exclusions:
Ross Taylor’s omission surprises the cricket fans as he is the most experienced player in the New Zealand squad. Taylor has played all five twenty overs world cups. This will be the first occasion that he will not play in the T20 world cup. The explosive Kiwi opener Colin Munro was disappointed with his non-selection in the team. He tweeted that his career for blackcaps is finished but not by his choice.
- Adam Milne is selected as 16 members of the squad to cover any injured player.
Read, 5 Eyes was the reason for the New Zealand tour cancellation of Pakistan.
Can New Zealand Qualify for Semi-Final?
By looking at the track record blackcaps, the team has played only 3 T20 matches there and won none. Their World Cup group consists of India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and these Asian teams have a good record in UAE. Pakistan has played almost ten years in UAE as their home ground. With India as one of the favorites to win the World cup, it will be difficult for them to qualify. But if they play up to their potential, they can surprise any team and can qualify for a semi-final or maybe play finals as well. New Zealand is yet to win a WorldCup trophy. Let’s see what happens in this edition.
Don’t Forget to know when is the match of your home team. Check T20 WorldCup Schedule
