Recipes are like instructions. They are useful, really helpful in fact but with all our wisdom we usually take a quick squiz of the outline and biff those instructions away. The Blackcaps T20 World Cup recipe has become evident throughout their first four games and while it's a helpful guide to understanding this team, we all know that recipes and instructions are just guides.

Take the part of this Blackcaps recipe about the top-four batsmen scoring 100 runs. That's the guiding instruction although the reality is that this isn't an exact science just like getting a bit too frisky with the garlic or cayenne pepper. Against Scotland, Martin Guptill whacked 93 runs @ 166sr while Daryl Mitchell contributed 13, Kane Williamson scored 0 and Devon Conway cracked 1 run.

That's 100 runs or so from the top-four batsmen. That marker wasn't reached vs Pakistan, while the India game featured the top-four doing all the run-scoring mahi. Against Namibia overnight, the top-four all put up scores of 15+ and accounted for 82 runs. This is just a guide and the benefit of this is putting Glenn Phillips and Jimmy Neesham in advantageous positions where all they need to do is do what they do best.

Remember that Philips finished 2nd in T20 Blast runs this year with 55.55avg/163.39sr. Neesham has a T20I strike-rate of 156.11 and as long as the top-four are scoring most of the Blackcaps runs, this flows on to the lads who have the 'smack it to all parts' job. Phillips and Neesham are the seasoning, salt on an avocado or complimentary spices combining to amplify taste.

The only weakness in the top-four right now is Conway. Aotearoa's leading run-scorers so far are Guptill, Mitchell and Williamson while Conway has 47 runs from 4inns and he's the only Blackcaps batsman with a strike-rate below 100. As long as his top-four comrades are scoring runs, Conway's lack of runs can be absorbed and we all hope Conway finds some form to chime in at an ideal time.

The bowling part of the recipe is nicely split between strike and economy. Trent Boult has 8w @ 11.7sr and Ish Sodhi has 7w @ 12.8sr, with any bowling strike-rate below 15 being among the best (Afghanistan have Mujeeb Ur Rahman's 8sr as the best strike-rate overall, while Rashid Khan is typically excellent with 12.2sr).

Tim Southee is taking wickets (5w @ 19.2sr) and he's also conceding 5.62rpo which is slightly better than Mitchell Santner's 5.68rpo. Including the qualifying stage of this World Cup, 30 bowlers are going for less than 6rpo and two of them are kiwis. 30 bowlers also have strike-rates below 15 and two of them are kiwis, giving Aotearoa two highly effective wicket-takers and two economical operators.

No Blackcaps bowler has conceded more than 8rpo so far and all bowlers have taken wickets. We know that Neesham just needs to grab a wicket every few overs and he's bowled 4ov with 1w, providing efficient all-round mahi. Adam Milne is the Blackcaps bowling equivalent of Conway as he is yet to really fire, taking 1w @ 7.58rpo from his 12ov. Milne has the highest bowling strike-rate and he's the most expensive bowler.

Just like Conway, Milne doesn't have to do too much though. Boult, Sodhi and Southee have combined for 20w and whether chucking in Santner's stingey work or Neesham not being overly expensive, Milne's stuff can be easily absorbed with the hope that Milne chimes in at some point. The bowling attack would look much stronger with Lockie Ferguson, but ideally Milne has a moment.

The difference between your cooking and that in a restaurant is likely to be quality of ingredients and seasoning perfection. This Blackcaps recipe features the finest ingredients and in a World Cup where conditions are tricky, the craft and nous of the kiwis has been on full display. Guptill, Mitchell, Williamson and Conway aren't sluggers, they are quality batters who can adjust due to conditions as they aren't rooted to one style of play. Boult and Southee are Aotearoa legends, who have proven themselves as T20 bowlers and along with crafty spinners in Sodhi and Santner, these bowlers compliment each other, move the ball both ways and can suss out conditions quickly.

Who will be in the mix for the best fielding unit at a World Cup again? Aotearoa. That's a staple ingredient, just like captain Williamson keeping his troops present in each challenge they face over the course of a major tournament.

I'm going to double down on Neesham and Phillips being the seasoning. Don't sleep on seasoning as it's what makes restaurant kai so yummy (also why you'll get fat eating out every night) and the Neesham/Phillips seasoning is what takes a gritty Blackcaps performance to a headline-grabber. You don't eat seasoning by itself though, you semi-follow the recipe and put together the kai with seasoning added.

Next up is Afghanistan tomorrow night and Aotearoa needs a win in a tricky spot where they will play their third game in five days, featuring three different venues. Success in ODI World Cups and Test Championship glory didn't come from start-to-finish domination or with any kind of ease. It came from adapting to conditions with a basic recipe that can easily be applied to different conditions and opponents. Three games in five days across three different venues feels like the exact challenge that this recipe is designed for.

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Peace and love.