As always, New
Zealand enter this tournament not marked as one of the favorites, but any keen
cricket observer will tell you that this motley group always saves its best for
ICC tournaments. This golden generation has seen and lived the heartbreak of
the last two World Cup finals and will be itching to finally go one step better
and give their cricketing heroes a fitting farewell.
Ahead of the opening game vs England, we take a look
at the 3 New Zealand players expected to play a key role in the fixture.
Trent Boult
After almost a year out in the wilderness, Trent Boult
is back into the ODI fold for the Black Caps, and that does not bode well for
the rest of the batting sides in the tournament. If there were question marks
about whether he would be ready for the tournament or not, they were provided
with a resounding answer after he casually sauntered and decimated the England
top-order in a spell for the ages. Boult has experience playing in Ahmedabad
courtesy for the IPL and that will bode well for the Kiwis.
Daryl Mitchell
New Zealand’s Michael Hussey will come full circle
when he takes on the field vs England. From watching the 2019 finals at home to
being one of the first names on the team-sheet 4 years later, Daryl Mitchell
has seen everything up, close and personal. He enters the World Cup in fine
fettle for the Kiwis, with 3 tons in his last 8 ODI innings. He will play a key
role for the Kiwis in this batting order. With Williamson all set to miss the
game, there is a possibility that Mitchell could be drafted in at No. 3 and
that could play into his hands. His ability with both bat and ball could be
pivotal for New Zealand to flourish not only in this game, but throughout the
tournament.
Devon Conway
A huge factor for a batsman in the top-order to enjoy
success in Indian/subcontinent conditions is to fully gel in with the
conditions, and Devon Conway is one such batsman who ticks all the boxes in
this regard. Brilliant player of spin? Check. A superlative off-side game? Check.
Excellent leg-side power-hitting game? Check. Form under his belt? Check. Conway
currently averages a century every 5 innings, and has got runs in India in the
IPL earlier this year. A huge burden of the run-scoring responsibility will fall
on Conway’s shoulders, but by the looks of it, he seems ready for the grind.