Nothing sets the scene for a cricket World Cup like Blackcaps tinkering with their opening combination. Having settled on Finn Allen as their opener for at least a year of ODI cricket, Allen was dropped for the ODI World Cup as the headline selection move. Will Young offers a different approach as a top-order batter and many would view him as a better batter straight up than Allen. Combine that with a fairly clear style guide for how Blackcaps want to play for an otherwise sound World Cup squad.

There was uncertainty around Blackcaps openers for the 2019 World Cup which then became a mid-tournament switch between Colin Munro and Henry Nicholls. The last two T20 World Cups have had quirky opening situations. The 2021 tournament featured Daryl Mitchell announcing himself as a classy international batter in replacing an injured Devon Conway. Last year's T20 World Cup saw Allen replace Martin Guptill and effectively end Guptill's Blackcaps career - after the squad was announced at his old school Avondale College.

Now Allen makes way. Allen played 11 ODIs last year with 38.7avg/94.4sr and then dipped down to 18.25avg/95.4sr in eight games this year. It seemed as though Blackcaps wanted an aggressive hitter alongside Conway. Allen's style does not merge well with consistency though and Blackcaps had to balance that with how Allen can snatch the innings away from opposition teams in an over or two.

It's tricky to gauge how Kane Williamson's availability impacts these selections. Having Williamson batting third offers a steady presence below Allen and perhaps the fact that Williamson is likely to miss the opening games could have diminished Allen's case for selection. Young was primed to bat three in place of Williamson and he now offers a more crafty approach opening with Conway.

Mitchell is the ideal geezer to bat three if Young/Conway open while Williamson is unavailable. If Williamson's fit and firing, then Mitchell can slot in at four, a spot ahead of Tom Latham. The selections of Jimmy Neesham and Mark Chapman provide more oomph down the order, perhaps highlighting how Blackcaps are aiming for craft up top with batters who can still whack boundaries, then building out a powerful/skillful middle-lower order.

Neesham's selection is a reminder that Blackcaps contracts mean very little to the average punter, far less than the media reporting makes them seem. Neesham and Trent Boult are joined by many other kiwi cricketers in playing for Blackcaps without a contract. There is no correlation between contract status and selection for major events like a World Cup.

Neesham has been in the Blackcaps mixer the entire time he hasn't had a contract. This is evident in 31 T20I games in 2022 and 2023 combined, plus seven ODIs. Neesham hasn't bowled much in ODIs this year but he does have 10w @ 25.7avg/9.1rpo in T20Is this year. Most importantly, Neesham has T20I batting strike-rates over 150 in five consecutive years and he's slugging over 110sr in his last two years of ODIs.

The batting stats for Blackcaps lads helps lay out the puzzle. Conway (50.4avg), Young (46.7avg), Williamson (47.8avg) and Mitchell (50.2) all average 45+ in ODI cricket. Chapman averages less but has a strike-rate over 100 in ODIs and wiggles along at 97.8sr in List-A cricket. Neesham has a LA strike-rate of 102.9 and operates at 99.1sr in ODIs.

Chapman can offer a dash of spin, although that is overstated at the moment. Chapman hasn't bowled in an ODI and he has bowled 4ov in T20Is since the start of 2020, while Phillips has snuck into various Blackcaps teams as the second spinner. Both of these lads are behind Rachin Ravindra who earns World Cup selection in a spin trio with Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi.

Ravindra is capable of playing alongside Santner and Sodhi, yet he is best viewed as a depth player. This is an intriguing zone for Ravindra as his ODI/T20I opportunities usually come batting down the order where he is tasked with finishing innings, which differs to his top-order batting role for Wellington. Ravindra will need to showcase swift development to impact World Cup games with the ball, but the basic premise of him bolstering the batting line up is enticing.

Phillips and Tom Latham sit between these two zones, capable of going bonkers or grinding out an innings. Latham is the leading wicket-keeper, with Conway and Phillips providing back up support. With Neesham and Chapman capable of playing different roles, there is versatility in this group to cover various scenarios.

Adam Milne and Kyle Jamieson are the notable absences in the seam bowling department. Both have benefited from Boult's absence and now they make way for the Blackcaps legend, who will lead the seam group alongside Tim Southee, Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson. As noted in the most recent Blackcaps check in, Southee is in a career-best ODI zone and Ferguson has slid in the opposite direction since the 2019 World Cup.

This squad is capable of maintaining Aotearoa's excellent record of World Cup consistency and there is a chance for World Cup glory if the stars align. Blackcaps have proven their ability to work through a tournament, adapting to opponents and conditions. The quirky opening batter selection trend can be niggly. In this instance though, it feels like Blackcaps are embracing their identity in leaning towards players who can cover roles while also adapting to game plans and conditions.

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