All teams are just a few steps ahead of the World Cup 2023. Everyone is doing their last time homework before the big tournament. Teams like Bangladesh, New Zealand, India, Australia, and England are playing their last series. Other teams are doing their last-minute preparations. Everyone is working hard to name the title. This will be a long tournament, a lot of variables are there. Anyone can be called a ‘World Champion’.
New Zealand is currently playing the ODI series against Bangladesh. The first ODI got washed out because of rain. The match was abandoned in 33.4 overs. The New Zealand’s score was 136-5. Will Young was the highest run scorer for New Zealand. He scored 58 runs out of 91 balls. He also made the 97 runs partnership with Henry Nicholls in the third wicket.
This series is going to be a boost-up series for the winning team. On the other hand, the losing team will learn a lot from mistakes. In the second ODI, New Zealand won the match by 86 runs. With that win, New Zealand led the series by 1-0. One more game is left. Bangladesh still has chances to level the series. But if New Zealand wins the series, it will be a big confidence boost before the World Cup. Despite the strengths, New Zealand has three things to look at ahead of the World Cup.
All rounder’s place:
New Zealand’s World Cup squad has been announced. But a question has been raised. The question is who will be the perfect all-rounder? Jimmy Neesham is the only all-rounder seen in the squad. In ODI cricket, an all-rounder is a key factor for each team. A player who can bat well and also can contribute to bowling is always beneficial. In the same way, a bowler who is taking wickets and also can contribute while batting is also beneficial. To win a match it is necessary to have a perfect all-rounder who can contribute in both ways. Sometimes, he falls a little short of bowling. It is a concerning area for New Zealand before the World Cup.
A good finalist but not a winner:
New Zealand is called one of the most successful teams in the ICC tournament. But their weakness is winning white ball finals. They are good at getting into the finals. But they are always one step behind the trophy. Balance can be the cause of this inconsistency. They always play successful innings throughout the tournament but they always lacked in the finals. The same thing happened with them in the last edition of the World Cup. England and New Zealand met in the in the final. But the luck went with England.
Last batting spot:
Another important thing in ODI cricket is the last batting spot. It is very important to hold the innings from the tail end. Every team needs a good batter at the end who can take the innings well to the end. If in any case, the top order fails or the middle order doesn’t perform well, it is the last batter’s responsibility to control the inning for the team. The New Zealand team is lacking in this position. It is a little hard to find a perfect last batter ahead of the World Cup.
Last-minute touch-ups are going right now for every team. Some teams are doing the last rehearsal by playing their last series before the World Cup. New Zealand is playing an ODI series against Bangladesh. They will meet England in the inaugural match on October 5. It will be a chance for New Zealand to take the revenge of the 2019 World Cup.
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