IPL experience can only be an advantage for gritty Kiwis

Trent Boult

The opening game of the 2023 World Cup is a blockbuster match featuring the two finalists from four years back at Lord's. That was one of the greatest finals ever, the teams scoring the same amount of runs in regulation play and in the Super Over. England won on boundary-countback, which is not a great way to determine a winner. I am glad things have changed in that regard.

This is also a rematch of the opening fixture of the 1996 World Cup, at the same venue (Ahmedabad). New Zealand won that encounter by 11 runs and I am hoping for a repeat of that result, though we all know how formidable England are.

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I believe England have got the advantage. They have a lot of talent, skill, depth and options and their style of play is very positive. Any one of their top five or six batters can change the course of a game and they have got an excellent bowling attack full of wicket-takers. Their playing XI is going to be phenomenal.

Heading into the World Cup, New Zealand have experimented a lot and they are still working through their combination. The key issue is the fitness of their captain, Kane Williamson. It's now determined that he won't play against England, which is a big blow. When you look at the draw, New Zealand play the Netherlands, Bangladesh and Afghanistan in their next three games and they must win all of them to give themselves a chance of making it to the semi-finals.

To me, Williamson's fitness is a real problem. I did see him batting freely and hitting the ball nicely in the warm-up matches, but there is one huge question mark about running between the wickets and fielding. A little skip or stumble or a tweak to his knee can put him out of the tournament. I understand the very cautious approach being taken, but that means the others have to step up.

New Zealand have six, if not seven players, who have played in the IPL and therefore are aware of the conditions. Devon Conway had an outstanding IPL and can be very influential at the top and there are plenty of attacking options in the middle order. Trent Boult is exceptional. He strikes regularly with the new ball. Matt Henry has got better and better and Mitchell Santner is one of the top spinners in limited-overs cricket.

Ultimately though, it will come down to how players and teams react to pressure, as it always does in a tournament like the World Cup.

Chivach Sports