Tagged with: 2019 Cricket World Cup
Now this is where the fun stuff happened. The Blackcaps bowlers began the 2019 World Cup by bowling Sri Lanka out for 136 and then pretty much carried on from there, slicing through a pretty dangerous Bangladesh batting lineup to bowl them out for 244 and then skittling Afghanistan for 172.
Well, if boundary countback was gonna be an issue then no surprises that we struggled there, considering that only three teams hit fewer boundaries than the Blackcaps throughout the entire tournament and they were: Sri Lanka (played three fewer games), South Africa (played two fewer games), and Afghanistan (played one fewer game and was only a single boundary behind our tally).
How do you even begin to comprehend something like that? To have been so close to something so special only to come away empty-handed, it’s excruciating. The Blackcaps gave it a little bit of everything and it wasn’t quite enough, not by the tiniest of margins, and I’m afraid that this one is going to sting for a very long time.
As the Blackcaps came to terms with a famous victory, Tom Latham completing a routine catch behind the stumps off the bowling of Jimmy Neesham to dismiss Yuzvendra Chahal and book a place in the World Cup final, captain Kane Williamson had a look on his face like he couldn’t quite remember if he’d put his phone on charge before he left the hotel.
Somehow the Blackcaps have made eight World Cup semi-finals including four in a row - they’ve even won two of them! - so here’s a bit of a breeze through and a history lesson all in one.
At the time of writing this, England have just won their semi-final against Australia to set up a World Cup final between England and Aotearoa.
There is no plan or script that the Aotearoa vs India World Cup semi-final can fit into, yet in a freestyle sense, everything fell beautifully in favour of the Blackcaps snatching victory.
The hope remains after Aotearoa crawled their way to 211/5 vs India in the World Cup semi-final with play to start again tonight.
Forget the weird blue cheese taste left from the last three games and banish the long list of shenanigans from selectors and NZC, Aotearoa's Blackcaps are in the Cricket World Cup semi-final.
Three reasonably big World Cup games and three losses for Aotearoa's Blackcaps after they were smoked by England overnight.
There is no better finals cricket preparation for Aotearoa's Blackcaps than their last round robin fixture against England.
Two big games with the World Cup hitting a nek level and two losses for Aotearoa's Blackcaps as Australia gave the kiwis a hiding.
Two games left before knockout cricket at this World Cup and we have a typically Blackcaps situation where the strongest Blackcaps playing 11 is still uncertain.
Sliding into the business end of the Cricket World Cup, Aotearoa Blackcaps have found a hefty point of difference in an otherwise mundane bowling attack thanks to Lockie Ferguson.
In the grand scheme of things, assuming Aoteaoa's Blackcaps can pick up enough wins from the games they do end up playing, rain at this World Cup in England is exactly what the kiwis need.
Three solid wins from the first three games for Aotearoa's Blackcaps have come with a few lads who many would deem as 1st 11 players, not playing.
Aotearoa's Blackcaps have emerged from their 'easing in' period of the World Cup with three wins from three games, successfully easing into their campaign after a third win over Afghanistan.
The key idea for Aotearoa's Blackcaps at the World Cup is how the kiwis adapt and while we'd much prefer a comprehensive dismantling of Bangladesh, the way the Blackcaps rode a niggly wave in their second outing was rather encouraging.
Tonight, Aotearoa's Blackcaps take on Bangladesh in their second World Cup game and after a fairly easy outing against Sri Lanka, then Bangladesh upsetting South Africa, this is shaping as a niggly encounter.
Deja vu is a buzzy little thing, borderline magic in which a sense of calm sweeps over you as you feel like you have been in this moment before.