2022 T20 World Cup: Blackcaps Crack Semi-Finals Again
Aotearoa have slid into the T20 World Cup semi-finals after defeating Ireland in another delightful showcase of Blackcaps cricket. Don't tell the cricketing nations who enjoy their power and greed, but Aotearoa might be the best cricketing nation in the world as the kiwis reach the semi-final stage for the sixth consecutive ICC tournament.
This starts with the 2015 ODI World Cup, followed by the 2016 T20 World Cup where Aotearoa made the semi-finals. Aotearoa was the only nation to make the ODI World Cup, World Test Championship and T20 World Cup finals during the 2019-21 cycle. Aotearoa made back to back ODI World Cup finals and has three consecutive T20 World Cups cracking the semi-finals, which could become back to back T20 World Cup finals.
Ease up on what might be for the Blackcaps and let's bask in Aotearoa's sporting excellence.
Ireland provided a niggly challenge for Aotearoa and in different pockets of this game, Ireland gathered momentum. Aotearoa has a bunch of batters who can play game-winning knocks and all five bowlers are capable of flipping a game in Aotearoa's favour. Despite Ireland's pockets of success, it always felt as though a kiwi could step up to lead Blackcaps to victory.
Blackcaps T20I batting is really fun.
Kane Williamson serves as the best entry point into learning about Blackcaps batting. Don't get caught up in the frenzy of 'he's out of form, now he's in form!' that leads most of the discussion around Blackcaps batting. Williamson has played the same basic role throughout this tournament and this fits into a greater trend of Williamson playing his role in a winning Aotearoa T20I outfit.
Aotearoa didn't make the semi-finals of the 2014 T20WC, but Williamson was the only kiwi batter to score 100+ runs. Williamson did so with a strike-rate of 125 and this was a snug fit in a Blackcaps batting line up that had Brendon McCullum, Luteru Taylor and Corey Anderson operating with strike-rates over 150.
Williamson was second for runs at the 2016 tournament, batting with a low strike-rate (105.12) alongside Martin Guptill's 157sr. Last year Williamson was the best kiwi batter and again batted with a fairly low T20 strike-rate, for a team that made the final. Williamson sits in the same zone this year as he did for last year's tournament.
2014 T20WC: 48.66avg/124.78sr
2016 T20WC: 24.6avg/105.12sr
2021 T20WC: 43.2avg/115.5sr
2022 T20WC: 33avg/118.91sr
In all four tournaments, Williamson serves as the cornerstone of Blackcaps batting with powerful sluggers around him. Throughout this 2022 T20WC we have tracked Williamson's bridge over mangroves innings and in all four games, Aotearoa has lost an early wicket to bring Williamson to the crease.
Against Australia, Williamson and Devon Conway built a bridge from the fifth over to the 13th over.
Against Sri Lanka, the top-three batters were dismissed within four overs. Glenn Phillips and Daryl Mitchell formed the bridge, taking Blackcaps from the fourth over to the 15th over.
Against England, both openers were dismissed within five overs. Williamson and Phillips built a bridge from the fifth over to the 15th over.
Against Ireland, the openers lasted a bit longer with Allen dismissed on the last ball of the sixth over. Williamson and Conway (best bridge-building duo) took Aotearoa from the sixth over to the 12th over.
Those acquainted with kiwi cricket know that Allen is going to slug boundaries, or at least try to whack it around. That is Allen's job in this team and one can be more aggressive knowing that Aotearoa's greatest batter is a safety net. Everyone knows what Allen will try to do and everyone knows what Williamson will try to do; suss out conditions, knock the ball around into post-powerplay spaces and settle in as the fulcrum.
Williamson played this role against England and was dismissed in the 15th over, 40 runs off 40 balls. Williamson went from 30 runs of 23 balls at the end of the 15th over against Ireland, to 61 runs of 35 balls early in the 19th over when he was dismissed. Factor in a slightly greater challenge against England's bowlers than Ireland, then ponder how the difference between these two innings was Williamson batting beyond the 15th over.
The innings against Ireland was the first time Williamson ventured beyond the 15th over in this tournament and he started whacking boundaries. No one knows which Blackcaps batter will elevate for the semi-final (plenty of options) and I don't present this as a prediction, this is merely to lay out Williamson's role.
Williamson's craft was on display as he and Conway adapted to conditions. Most of the pitches used for this tournament offer seam and spin, combined with slower decks and Aussie bounce. Batting ain't easy and as of Saturday morning, we can lower the 200-run marker to 190 runs as only two 190+ run innings have been posted in the whole tournament.
Conway scored 28 runs @ 84.84sr while the rest of the top-five batters finished with 145+ strike-rates. Williamson was grinding away with Conway during their partnership and as they adapted to tricky batting conditions, they set up the innings. Adapting and learning are fundamentals of Blackcaps cricket, same with elite fielding and hard running between wickets.
The moment Aotearoa's bowlers adapted to conditions, the game flipped in their favour. Ireland's openers were having a lovely time whacking boundaries to start their innings but didn't adapt to how the kiwis changed their bowling plans. Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi slowed their deliveries down with more flight, slower bounce off the pitch and more turn.
When these nuggets of information are passed through Blackcaps players, seamers start to embrace the slower pitch as well. Suddenly Lockie Ferguson is disguising 150km/h and 125km/h deliveries, while Tim Southee dips into his bag of tricks.
Fielding was also low key crucial for Aotearoa as Ireland went about their aggressive mahi. Limiting twos is an example of Blackcaps fielding as is stopping a single. Aotearoa loves to stop a boundary as well and Ireland could have gathered more runs, thus snatching momentum further away from Blackcaps, if the kiwis weren't diving recklessly to stop fours.
Very few teams at this tournament are and will be as aggressive as Aotearoa in the field. Any possible boundary involves a massive dive from Phillips, Mitchell, Santner, Neesham or Boult. This usually results in a four becoming a two, sometimes even just a single. That's Aotearoa sport for ya.
Be ready for anything as the semi-finals approach. Blackacps could dominate whoever their opponent is, then again these teams all sit in a similar bracket of T20I excellence. All the preparation is done for kiwi cricket fans as we know the Blackcaps blueprint. Aotearoa has batting and bowling weapons throughout their team who could step up to win a knockout game. Blackcaps also offer elite fielding, unmatched running between wickets, proven cricket nous and that little bloke from Tauranga will take his damn time.
Join the Niche Cache Patreon whanau to support our kiwi sports content straight up, get a karma boost and find extra podcasts.
Every Monday and Friday we fire off an email newsletter with bonus content. Sign up here!
Peace and love.