World Twenty20 Team Preview: New Zealand

Twenty20 World Cup / Andrew Hughes / 02 June 2009 /

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It might surprise those who are used to New Zealand punching above their weight in limited overs cricket but the Black Caps are one of the worst Twenty20 teams in the world. Can they change that at the World Twenty20? Andrew Hughes looks for the answer...

There's no doubt that New Zealand have some good players. Jesse Ryder, Ross Taylor, Brendon McCullum and Daniel Vettori would get into most international teams. They just don't have enough of them. The dearth of talent is most obvious in the bowling department, where they may be forced to rely heavily on veteran trundlers Jacob Oram and Scott Styris.

Key Batsman

Ross Taylor struggled initially in the IPL, but once he'd found his feet, he was a devastatingly effective batsman for Royal Challengers Bangalore and a stylish one too. With Jesse Ryder likely to play a pinch hitting role at the top of the order, the onus will be on Taylor to build the match winning innings and this could be the tournament where he finally comes of age on the world stage.

Key Bowler

In a bowling attack that redefines the word toothless, Vettori is the only one capable of making incisions. His variations of flight, pace and turn are beautiful to watch in Test cricket, but in the 20 over game, where every dot ball increases the pressure on the batsman, he is deadly. Spin bowlers have done well in Twenty20 since its inception and Vettori is right up there with the best of them. Unfortunately for New Zealand, he can only bowl four overs a match.

Captain

Vettori will be one of the better captains at the World Twenty20, a thoughtful and astute leader who is always learning about the game and will have gained much from his stint with the Delhi Daredevils in the IPL. A captain is only as good as his team, however, and he will have his work cut out to make this bunch competitive.

Conclusions

The Black Caps ought to be able to overcome Scotland and make it out of their opening group. After that, it gets a lot tougher. If you were looking for positives, you could say that the middle order of Taylor, McCullum, Oram, Styris and Vettori looks pretty strong. But their bowling is chronically weak and they are simply going to leak too many runs to be competitive. Currently [9.6] in the winners market, expect them to be on a flight home before the semi-finals.

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