ICC Cricket World Cup 2019: New Zealand squad analysis
With the all-important World Cup set to begin on 30th May in England, the deadline for squad announcements has been set for 23rd April. However, the Black Caps announced their 15-member squad for the World Cup on Wednesday, almost 20 days before the deadline.
The move shows the clarity the management possesses in terms of team selection for the World Cup and the confidence it has in the selected players.
Complete squad: Kane Williamson (c), Tom Blundell, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Colin Munro
The current New Zealand team does not have the same buzz and hype surrounding it that it did going into the 2015 World Cup. Their form has not been great either, with the ODI series loss against India at home exposing a few chinks in the armor.
With the squad for the World Cup announced, here we take an in-depth look at the players selected and what it means for New Zealand's chances.
Squad balance and depth
The Williamson-led side has a formidable look on paper. Although the results have not been great over the past year, the team possesses good balance. Grandhomme, Santner and Neesham are three quality all-rounders and two of them will likely be picked in the playing XI.
This gives the Kiwis a minimum of 6-8 overs from their top 6 if one of the main bowlers has an off-day.
The tail is a bit long though, when compared to the likes of England and Australia. Tim Southee at 8 will be the last man who can bat, with Sodhi, Boult and Ferguson completely unreliable with the bat. The onus is on the top 5 to score heavily and for Grandhomme to give the required push at the end of the innings.
Talking of depth, they do have multi-dimensional players like Henry Nicholls and Tom Latham, whose positions in the batting order can be interchanged as and when required. Moreover, the presence of Colin Munro adds to the strength in depth.
However, the major concern will be an injury to the skipper, as there is hardly anyone in the squad who can fill in Kane's shoes.
The bowling unit also possesses the required skill-set to succeed in English conditions. While Boult and Ferguson have been in good form of late, it will be a toss-up between Southee's experience and Henry's pace for the third seamer's slot.
Form
Veteran Ross Taylor has been in phenomenal form in the last couple of years. One of the best number four batsmen in world cricket at the moment, Taylor holds the key for the Kiwis in the middle order.
The ever-reliable Williamson is as good as anyone in the world at number 3. Guptill, who had a terrible series against India at home, found some form against Bangladesh and will be counted on to come good.
Currently warming the bench for SRH, Guptill is likely to get game time in the IPL once David Warner and Jonny Bairstow join their respective national sides. Munro has not been in form for a while now, but the fact that Nicholls has fit into the role of an opener quite well augurs well for the team.
While the form of the individuals is not much of a concern for the Kiwis, the form as a team must be worrying. The home series against India saw some individual brilliance but collective failures, something they would be eager to rectify come the World Cup.
One major weakness is their inability to cope with quality leg-spin. With most teams, including India, England, Australia, South Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan, possessing quality wrist spinners, it will be fascinating to see how the Black Caps overcome this weakness.
Key players
Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor hold the key for New Zealand and going by their form, they are expected to be thorns in the flesh for their oppositions. But for the Black Caps to really dominate like they did in 2015, they need their openers to go all guns blazing.
Whether the Kiwis dominate right from the start or play the catch-up game depends largely on Guptill and Nicholls.
Trent Boult has been quite brilliant over the past couple of years and he will spearhead the attack in the upcoming World Cup. His performances will play a major role as Tim Southee has not been at his best in white-ball cricket for a while now.
Boult's ability to get wickets with the new ball and tear apart oppositions on tracks offering a little assistance makes him one of the bowlers to watch out for in the World Cup.
Ish Sodhi will be the key for New Zealand in the middle overs, with the responsibility of providing breakthroughs in that phase falling squarely on his shoulders.
As has been evident from matches over the past couple of years, teams with wicket-taking options in the middle overs have been more successful. The major wicket-takers in the middle overs are the wrist spinners; Kuldeep and Chahal for India, Zampa for Australia and Adil Rashid for England. New Zealand, therefore, will be heavily reliant on their wrist spinner to play a similar role.
Probable XI: Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wk), Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson
Tournament prediction: A likely top 4 finish considering the balance on paper. They will need to play out of their skins and tackle the demons of wrist-spin to go all the way.
Squad Rating: (7.5/10)