Will New Zealand get a ticket for the semi-finals or not? (Photo: PTI)
The New Zealand team had made a great start in this World Cup. In the very first match, it had defeated defending champion England by a huge margin of 9 wickets. After this, the England team derailed so much that it was out of the title race. He definitely defeated Netherlands in the match played on Wednesday but now victory and defeat have no meaning for him. Let us return to New Zealand itself. It won over Netherlands in the second match, Bangladesh in the third match and Afghanistan in the fourth match. After hitting the winning four, he had to face the Indian team. In the match against India, it had to face defeat by 4 wickets. The New Zealand team had given trouble to India but the Indian team managed to win the match.
Who knows what happened after this that New Zealand’s performance seemed to be derailing. In the next match after India, Australia defeated them by 5 runs. South Africa also defeated New Zealand by a huge margin of 190 runs. But the real blow to New Zealand was luck. When he had to become a victim of rain in the last match against Pakistan. In which Pakistan won.
Read: Will the story of Pakistan’s semi-final be written only when there is water-water?
Pakistan lost even after scoring 400 runs
It rarely happens in international cricket that a team loses even after crossing the score of 400. Same thing happened with New Zealand. The New Zealand team batted brilliantly in the match against Pakistan. Thanks to Rachin Ravindra’s tremendous century, he added 401 runs on the scoreboard. Considering Pakistan’s current form, the target of 402 runs seemed impossible. But Pakistan also did not lose courage. Fakhar Zaman batted brilliantly after losing the wicket of Abdullah Shafiq early. There was exactly the kind of aggression in his batting that is required to achieve the target of more than 400 runs. But before they could be put to the real test, it rained. After the rain, Duckworth-Lewis’ rule came into effect. Under this rule, Pakistan team won. If you ask any fan who understands the ABCs of cricket, he will tell you that the real pressure increases after Faker Jama’s dismissal. Along with this, the stress of required run rate also troubled the Pakistani batsmen. The New Zealand team just had to bowl with discipline and restraint. The pressure of the target of 402 runs would automatically make the batsmen make mistakes. Don’t forget that charismatic innings like Glenn Maxwell’s are not played every day. Such innings are very few in the history of cricket. In this respect, the Kiwi team’s defeat in the last match was like a stroke of luck.
New Zealand looked to be one of the most balanced teams
The New Zealand team was being counted among the most balanced teams of this World Cup. A group of experienced players, good batsmen and bowlers. New Zealand players are also performing well. Batsmen like Rachin Ravindra, Darrell Mitchell, Devon Conway are in good form. Rachin Ravindra, playing his first World Cup, has scored more than five hundred runs with 3 centuries. Darrell Mitchell and Devon Conway also have one century each in their account. Both the batsmen have also crossed the 300 run mark. Among bowlers, Mitchell Santner has taken 14 wickets. Apart from this, there are good bowlers like Trent Boult and Matt Henry. The kind of start the Kiwis had made in the World Cup, almost everyone expected the team to reach the semi-finals. But those hopes have suffered a slight setback. Despite this, if tested on the basis of ‘consistency’ then New Zealand team is the best contender. Let us tell you that for this it will have to defeat Sri Lanka by a good margin. So that his run-rate also remains good. If New Zealand is able to do this then it will face the Indian team in the semi-finals.
Sri Lankan team is not in form but caution is necessary
The condition of Sri Lanka is also very bad in this World Cup. He had to face problems right from the beginning of the tournament. Injuries to players forced him to change his plan. As a result, the 1996 World Champion team won only 2 out of 8 matches. They are among the bottom teams in the points table. The situation had worsened to such an extent that the Sports Minister of Sri Lanka had suspended the Cricket Board itself. A committee was also formed under the leadership of Arjun Ranatunga. However, later after the intervention of the government, the Sri Lanka Cricket Board was reinstated. In the last match, Sri Lanka had to face defeat against Bangladesh. This was the first time in the history of the World Cup when the Sri Lankan team lost against Bangladesh. Obviously Sri Lankan fans are angry. The team players are disappointed. The way Angelo Mathews was given out in the last match and the chaos created in world cricket after that will also trouble the team. Now two things happen in these circumstances. Firstly, a team that is weak in confidence gives up its weapons. In such a situation, New Zealand should not face much difficulty against Sri Lanka. But if the Sri Lankan team unites and decides to end the tournament with a win, then it can also counterattack. New Zealand will have to avoid this. Because after a good start in the tournament, this victory is necessary for New Zealand to finish well.
Read more: Afghanistan will never forget Maxwell’s charismatic innings
