#CWC15: NZ need Plan B against Saffas

Ajit Vijaykumar 02:48 23/03/2015
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  • Stay calm: Brendon McCullum and Co can’t afford to be overly aggressive against South Africa as their lower order batting is weak

    I had picked New Zealand as the favourites to win the World Cup. They looked the most flamboyant side at the start of the tournament with an exciting crop of players on top of their game, a sensational new-ball attack of Trent Boult and Tim Southee a big plus as well.

    The Kiwis ticked all the boxes as they maintained a clean sheet in the group stage. Their quarterfinal clash against the West Indies was seen as a tricky encounter.

    You never know what the Caribbean side can do once the likes of Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels open their shoulders. As it turned out, the match was as good as over even before Gayle took guard.

    Martin Guptill was not on many people’s list of possible ODI double centurions. But the Kiwi opener showed that when clean hitting, a dropped catch (by Samuels), a belter of a pitch and an ordinary bowling attack come together, anything is possible in ODIs.

    Granted, it was a West Indies attack that had allowed opposition batsmen to score the fastest fifty, century and 150 (all by AB de Villiers) in ODIs and had already been witness to a one-day double century (Virender Sehwag). But you still have to hit the runs. In Wellington, Guptill did just that.

    It was a comfortable win for the Kiwis in the end, with the West Indies bowled out for 250, as the co-hosts set up a semi-final clash with the Proteas.

    The New Zealand team machine has worked like clockwork, with every plan laid out by captain Brendon McCullum working perfectly. But as they prepare to take on South Africa, it will be prudent to take a more critical look at the performances.

    The Black Caps went into the tournament with just one plan – attack. The fast bowlers went all out from the start and looked to peg back the batsmen with pace and swing, leaving hardly any overs for the death while the batsmen, led by the ready-to explode McCullum, threw the idea of building an innings out of the window.

    McCullum's carefree approach came unstuck with an early dismissal against West Indies.

    That approach worked well for them but against South Africa, it won’t be so easy. And the Kiwis themselves know that it’s a strategy fraught with danger.

    Against Australia, they were so intent on delivering a crushing blow, chasing a small target of 152, that they made a meal of it and scraped through with a one-wicket win. Who knows what would have happened if Mitchell Starc had landed one more yorker to No11 Boult with six runs needed to win.

    Maybe the Kiwi bubble would have burst. But New Zealand kept attacking. That plan came unstuck when Bangladesh batted first and survived the initial pace onslaught. They were well placed at 182-4 at the start of the 39th over.

    Mahmudullah’s brilliant century and a late charge by Sabbir Rahman exposed the Kiwi attack, with the likes of Mitchell McClenaghan and Grant Elliot butchered. The Tigers posted 288 and McCullum’s side chased it down with just three wickets in hand. It was a bit too close for comfort.

    Both results showed that New Zealand have a great Plan A but not much of a Plan B. For starters, their lower middle order of Elliot, Corey Anderson and Luke Ronchi has not been thoroughly tested. Elliot has 143 runs from six innings, wicketkeeper Ronchi a poor 65 from five outings. Anderson has a healthier 173 runs from six knocks but the three haven’t set the stage alight with the bat yet.

    As far as bowling is concerned, Boult, Southee and spin ace Daniel Vettori have been superb. Anderson has bowled surprisingly well but in reality, the likes of Adam Milne, McClenaghan and Elliot have not been up to the mark. If Anderson fails against South Africa, the hosts will end up with a huge gap in their bowling.

    It’s not the Kiwis’ fault that all their frontline players have excelled. But the fact is that their entire playing eleven is not in great shape. If their top order fails, or if the Proteas see out the initial spell of Boult and Southee, New Zealand will be in deep trouble. It is therefore imperative that they go into the match with a slightly altered approach.

    McCullum’s attacking style can unsettle any opposition but he has to respect Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. If he keeps advancing down the track from the word go, Steyn and Morkel will pin him back with sheer pace.

    The Black Caps can’t afford to expose their middle order to Imran Tahir’s leg-spinners as he has been in superb form and can dry up the runs in the blink of an eye.

    Their bowling strategy will also need some changes. If McCullum uses up all the overs of Boult, Southee and Vettori before the slog overs arrive, he will be staring at disaster especially if de Villiers is at the crease.

    New Zealand’s fearlessness has taken them all the way to the semi-final. But South Africa are too good to get spooked by their scare tactics. A precision attack by the New Zealanders will work much better than firing all their weapons up front. 

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