FEATURES
Follow UsThe streak……….is over. After nine years of reaching at least the semi-finals of every World Cup they played (ODI and T20I), New Zealand, for the first time in a decade, have failed to make it to the final four of a mega event.
Drawn in the group of death alongside hosts West Indies and dark horses Afghanistan, the Kiwis needed to be at their very best in order to make it through to the Super 8s. But entering the tournament with a lot of rust, the Blackcaps were found wanting, and they ended up getting knocked out even before they could realise it.
Across the first two games that led to their elimination, the Blackcaps were far from perfect in all three departments. But, largely, it was batting that let the 2021 finalists down, with scores of 75 & 136/9 sealing their fate for good.
So, what actually went wrong with the bat for the Kiwis? Or, rather, what’s the actual problem we’re looking at here?
Trouble everywhere — the disaster-show that was NZ’s batting
Devon Conway’s continued horror run with the bat
Remember when Devon Conway was a run machine in T20s that simply couldn’t stop scoring? Remember when he was the epitome of consistency? Well, that seems like a long time ago, doesn’t it?
Conway entered this T20WC undercooked and out of form. A thumb injury had stopped him from playing any cricket since March and, on top of that, he’d not been in the greatest of form across formats anyway, posting one fifty-plus score in 21 innings after the 152* against England, in the curtain-raiser of the ODI World Cup.
But you know how the sayings go, right? Form is temporary, class is permanent. When the going gets tough, the tough get going etc etc.
To New Zealand’s dismay, however, Conway continued to be a passenger. He began the tournament with a scratchy 8 (10) and then followed it up with a 5 (8) in the do-or-die clash against West Indies. In the 18 balls, he was at the crease, at no point did the left-hander inspire any confidence or show signs that he was on the cusp of a tide-turning knock.
Early days, but what do NZ do with Conway now in T20Is? He’s now averaging 11.80 across his last 10 innings. 63 of the 118 runs he’s scored in this period came in a single knock. His scores in the remaining nine innings: 1, 3, 2, 9, 0, 20, 7, 8 & 5.
The frustrating case of Finn Allen
Every now and then, Finn Allen, the batter, produces knocks that make you acknowledge his talent and the hype around him and simply go, “WOW”.
But, equally, Allen the batter has these phases and dismissals that leave you frustrated and make you doubt whether he’ll ever be an elite international performer.
Prior to this T20WC, Allen had been the Kiwis’ best T20 batter in 2024, having amassed 326 runs at an average of 40.75 and strike rate of 188.43. Thanks to his form, the 25-year-old was expected to be a point of difference for the Blackcaps up the order.
That way, the horror dismissal he endured against Afghanistan summed up both Allen’s career and New Zealand’s 2024 T20WC campaign.
Fazalhaq Farooqi was always going to bowl a vicious inswinger, and everyone knew it was coming. Allen knew it too. In line with the script, Farooqi predictably bowled an inswinger that came in sharply. All Allen had to do was keep it out, but instead, he went for an ugly hoick across the line and got his stumps shattered.
Image courtesy: ICC / Hotstar
Intent is important in T20s, but game awareness dwarfs its importance. Allen, there, unfortunately, showed none. The opener had a chance to redeem himself against West Indies but, after a semi-promising start, fell for 26 (23).
Allen unquestionably is someone the Kiwis should stick with, but, with him, the concerns are now increasing significantly.
For one, Allen has a serious left-arm pace problem: in his T20I career now, he averages 14.8 against left-arm pace, being dismissed by them a staggering 18 times. That’s four more dismissals against left-arm pace than any other batter since his T20I debut.
He’s blowing too hot and cold, yes, but New Zealand will be more concerned about his home-away disparity. Since the start of 2023, he averages 33 at home compared to 22 away. He has, in this period, passed the 40-run mark outside New Zealand just once in nine innings.
Williamson’s serious lack of match practice in T20s
‘Kane Williamson plays if he’s fit’ has been New Zealand’s forever mantra. The Blackcaps have always believed that Williamson’s quality and experience, at any given time, outweigh any possible cons.
But across New Zealand’s first two games of this T20WC, Williamson’s lack of match practice showed. Big time.
The New Zealand skipper entered this T20WC, having played 7 T20s in total since the start of 2023. He had only played 4 T20s in the calendar year, largely warming the bench for Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL instead of featuring for the Kiwis in the five-match T20I series against Pakistan.
Like Conway, he looked in no rhythm whatsoever, as across two games, he posted a combined 10 runs off 15 balls, hitting a solitary boundary.
Considering both games were relatively low-scoring contests, especially the Windies clash, the scores were right in Williamson’s alley. A fully fit, dialed-in Williamson would have made a significant difference.
Not just peak Williamson, but a sharper, in-form batter would have made a difference to both games too.
It makes you wonder if, going forward, the Blackcaps would be better off asking the right-hander to step away from T20Is, considering this on-off relationship is not helping either party.
Regardless, in hindsight, New Zealand’s decision not to play any warm-up games looks silly. Why not give your most important batter some precious game time, even if it's a low-intensity hitout?
Daryl Mitchell yet to crack the middle-order code in T20Is
Daryl Mitchell might be one of the best middle-order batters in the world in ODI cricket, but the right-hander has simply not cracked the T20I code to date.
Mitchell had a killer run opening the batting for the Blackcaps in the 2021 T20 World Cup, but his middle-order numbers in T20Is do not make for good reading: the 33-year-old, across his last 15 T20I innings (which have predominantly come at No.5), has averaged 19.10 while striking at 130.10.
The right-hander struggled immensely in IPL 2024 for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and his poor form extended into this T20WC. He fell cheaply in both games, registering 5 (5) against Afghanistan before scoring 12 (13) against West Indies.
Mitchell has developed a reputation of being a good ‘spin hitter’ in ODIs, but when it comes to T20Is, he seems to have trouble taking on the tweakers from the get-go.
Since 2023, his first 10 balls strike rate against spin in T20Is reads just 92.68 as compared to 139.81 against pace. And, overall, during this period, he’s averaged just 20.25 versus spinners, while striking at 106.58.
At the highest level, numbers like these, unfortunately, do not cut it for a middle-order batter.
With Mitchell 33 now, New Zealand will have to make a call on whether they want him as a part of their batting core for the next cycle. The all-rounder, through his performances, has certainly not earned the right to be a regular in the shortest format.
The criminal misuse of Glenn Phillips, the batter
Heading into this T20WC, New Zealand should ideally have built their middle-order around Glenn Phillips.
In the 18 months in lead-up to this T20WC, Phillips had batted 20 of his 25 innings at No.4 and had done exceptionally well, averaging 34.00 while striking at 141.52. He was the best batter for the Blackcaps in the 2022 T20WC in Australia, where he smashed 201 runs at 40.20 / 158.26 batting at No.4.
The Kiwis, then, should have done everything in their power to get the best out of the right-hander. But, come the mega event, he instead became an afterthought. Phillips was first pushed to No.5 in the clash against Afghanistan and then demoted to No.6 against West Indies to fit in the misfiring Rachin Ravindra.
Even then, the 27-year-old tried his best, top-scoring for the Blackcaps across both matches, with his 40 against the Windies briefly giving the Kiwis hope.
Perhaps batting Phillips at No.4 would not have made a big difference to the results anyway, but the Kiwis’ handling of the all-rounder speaks volumes about everything wrong with this management.
Phillips is, by some distance, the most natural T20 batter in their middle-order. Yet he was pushed out of his natural position so that bigger, more ‘experienced’ names could be picked on the basis of their reputation and form in other formats.
If you’ve not downloaded the Cricket.com app yet, you’re missing out — big time. Play Fantasy on Cricket.com NOW! Download the App here.
