T20 World Cup 2022: "They are not going to play attractive cricket" - Aakash Chopra on New Zealand's likely strategy in the tournament
Aakash Chopra has highlighted New Zealand's likely strategy and strengths heading into the T20 World Cup 2022.
New Zealand are placed in Group 1 of the league phase along with Australia, England and Afghanistan, apart from the two teams who will come through the qualifying stage. They will begin their campaign against Australia in Sydney on Saturday, October 22.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra pointed out that the Kiwis will likely adopt a calculative approach in the tournament. He elaborated:
"Their strategy is very simple. Go close to the par score, they play a disciplined game, they are not going to play attractive cricket. They will have the basics right. It's almost like a PowerPoint presentation. Kane Williamson's brain works faster than a computer."
The former India batter added:
"If there is an off-spinner they will send a right-hander to take a chance, they might send Jimmy Neesham up the order if a left-arm spinner comes. If Lockie Ferguson has a good record against a player, they will play him there. Similarly for Tim Southee, they do all these things right."
New Zealand will have to be at their best to make it through to the semi-finals. Although Australia and England are favored to reach the knockout stage from Group 1, the Kiwis could spring a surprise.
"They don't have the superstars but they become a superstar team" - Aakash Chopra on New Zealand's strengths
Chopra picked the Kiwi players gelling together as a unit as their biggest strength. He said:
"Their strength is that five fingers make a fist. They don't have the superstars but they become a superstar team because everybody knows their role, what each one has to do. That's all they are."
Apart from Kane Williamson's astute captaincy, the renowned commentator picked New Zealand's excellent fielding as another of their plus points. He observed:
"They will do man-to-man marking, make specific plans, they have an amazing captain in the form of Kane Williamson who has earned that respect. I wouldn't say bowling or batting is their strength but they field exceptionally well."
New Zealand are the best fielding side since the 2021 T20 World Cup with regards to net runs saved in T20Is. #T20WorldCup @T20WorldCup https://t.co/eL5TnIn3o1
Chopra concluded by pointing out that the Black Caps would have formulated a plan against every opposition. He explained:
"They are a cohesive and disciplined unit. They will come with extremely good game plans. Whichever team they will come up against, they would have marked every opposition player and if things fall in place, they will demolish you with ease. You cannot take this team lightly in multi-nation tournaments."
New Zealand are known to raise their game in ICC events. They reached the final of last year's T20 World Cup as well as the last two editions of the ODI World Cup but came up short on all three occasions.