D'Arcy Waldegrave: The Black Caps need to hit the ground running

Afghanistan, West Indies, Uganda, Papua New Guinea.  

On the face of it, New Zealand's journey toward the knockout stages of the T20 World Cup doesn’t appear to be onerous.   

New Zealand starts their campaign late, nearly a week after the comp got up and running. They enter the fray with no warmup games under their belt. Some of the team didn't arrive until Sunday. After time in the ICL (Indian Cash League) some of them needed time at home with family before heading to the World Cup. A fractured lead in, you could say.   

So, are they underdone? That’s the question. On the face of it, yes, they are, but in such an abrupt format, does that even matter? Frankly, no.  

Plainly they need to hit the ground sprinting and hammer the Afghan side. One win in their first 2 matches should be enough to qualify, providing they lay waste to the minnows to finish the round-robin. Seems straightforward enough until the tyranny above rears its ugly head and drops its payload. Rain. The arch enemy of cricket.   

The format itself is prone to upset results through the brevity of the exchanges. Add truncated or abandoned fixtures into the mix, highly likely in the Caribbean currently, the need to take competition points with healthy net run rates is essential. Sunshine and hay making if you will.  

Win and win well while you can. The vagaries of West Indian weather may well have a bigger say in proceedings than would be welcome.   

To start the comp with a heavy defeat through rust could indeed leave the Black Caps in a tenuous position from the get-go.   

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from News talks'd.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
B seven's Afghanistan, or Istindy's You Gander Pop puor New Guineas.
On the face of it, New Zealand's Jurney toward the
knockout stage of the T twenty World Cup doesn't appear
to be too onerous, right. New Ze start their campaign
late at eleven thirty this morning. It gets underway nearly
a week after the competition's actually got up and running

(00:33):
into the fray with no warm up matches under their belt.
Some team didn't arrive until Sunday after time in the ICL,
the Indian Cash League. Some of them need a time
at home with their family, understandable before heading to the
World Cup. It's what you call a fractured leading. So
are they underdone? Key question? On the face of it,

(00:54):
yeah they are, But in such an abrupt format does
that even matter? Frankly, no planning. They need to hit
the ground, sprinting and hammer the Afghan side. One win
in their first two matches should be enough to qualify,
providing they lay waste to the minnows to finish the

(01:14):
round robin seems straightfward enough right until the tyranny above,
where as its ugly head and drops its payload. Rain,
the arch enemy of cricket. The format itself is prone
to upset results, as we've seen through the brevity of
the exchanges you add truncated or abandoned fixtures into the mix,

(01:35):
which is highly likely in the Caribbean currently. The need
to take competition points with healthy net run rates is
essential sunshine and haymaking if you will win and when
well while you can the vagaries of West Indian whether
may well have a bigger same proceedings than will be
welcome to start the comp or the heavy defeat through

(01:58):
rust could indeed leave the Black Caps in a tenuous
position right from the get go.

Speaker 1 (02:04):
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