Opinion
New Zealand is the most underrated team and are underdogs in every ICC tournament.
Their team looks average on paper but they know how to fight hawks with their pigeons.
Like previous articles, I am going to make my squad for New Zealand for the T20 World Cup.
Martin Guptill
T20I stats: 85 innings, 2536 runs at 32.5, strike rate: 134.6, 15 fifties, two centuries
Guptill is the leading run-scorer for New Zealand in T20Is. He is the player who starts hitting from ball one and keeps hitting. He has scored 2536 runs in T20Is with two centuries and 15 fifties.
Colin Munro
T20I stats: 62 innings, 1724 runs at 31.3, strike rate: 156.4, 11 fifties, three centuries
If you have to pick one exponent of power hitting, then Munro will be the best option. Having scored three centuries in T20Is, he is the best partner to open with Guptill. His strike rate of 156.4 is justifying his hitting abilities.
Kane Williamson (captain)
T20I stats: 58 innings, 1665 runs at 32.6, strike rate: 125.2, 11 fifties
The Kiwi skipper has scored 1665 runs at an average of 32.6 with 11 fifties to his name. I don’t need to justify his inclusion.
Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson. (Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP/Getty Images)
Glenn Phillips (wicketkeeper)
T20I stats: ten innings, 146 runs at 15.6, strike rate: 100, one fifty
Phillips is an exciting youngster whose record in domestic cricket is quite amazing. Having an average of 30.9 with a strike rate of 135.4 in domestic cricket, he is the destructive batsman in the power play. He will be my back-up opener as well as a wicketkeeper for the World Cup.
Ross Taylor
T20I stats: 92 innings, 1909 runs at 26.5, strike rate: 122.7, seven fifties
Ross Taylor is the most experienced batsman in the New Zealand team. He has been given the job to carry the innings in the middle overs and accelerate the scoreboard. He has scored 1909 runs in T20Is, having an average of 26.5.
Tom Bruce
T20I stats: 17 innings, 279 runs at 18.6, strike rate: 122.4, two fifties
Bruce is also a middle-order batsman who has excellent domestic stats but his international stats are just average. He has two fifties in international cricket, averaging just 18.6, which is not justifying his talent. After taking his time, he can smash the ball hard.
Tim Seifert (wicketkeeper)
T20I stats: 23 innings, 457 runs at 22.9, strike rate: 139.8, three fifties
Seifert will be my first-choice keeper as he played some good innings in recent series. He bats naturally. Hitting the ball hard is not difficult for him. He also batted as an opener but I’ll want him to bat down the order. He has an average of 25.1 with a strike rate of 136.8 in domestic cricket.
Colin de Grandhomme
T20I stats: 34 innings, 487 runs at 18, strike rate: 143.2, three fifties
19 innings, 11 wickets at 40.5, economy rate: 8.92
Colin de Grandhomme is an amazing all-rounder and I still cannot forgot his spell in the World Cup final in 2019. Besides his hitting abilities, his swinging ball on both sides is enough for a batsman to get destroyed. He is a multi-talented player.
Jimmy Neesham
T20I stats: 15 innings, 185 runs at 16.8, strike rate: 141.2, no fifties
16 innings, 13 wickets at 24.8, economy rate: 8.57
After making a comeback, Neesham has groomed himself a lot. He had a valuable contribution in the 2019 World Cup. He also plays down the order, can finish the innings, and puts the pressure on the opposition with his medium-pace bowling.
Mitchell Santner
T20I stats: 32 innings, 282 runs at 14.1, strike rate: 124.2, no fifties
43 innings, 52 wickets at 21.1, economy rate: 7.36
Santner is a left-arm orthodox bowler who can put pressure in middle overs by taking wickets. Besides his bowling, he can offer some batting and is the best fielder of the team. You can’t afford to keep him out of the field.
(Marty Melville/AFP/Getty Images)
Ish Sodhi
T20I stats: 44 innings, 53 wickets at 24.1, economy rate: 8.05
Another spinner in my line-up is Ish Sodhi. He is a leggie. He bowls exceptional googlies and flippers. He relies a lot on googlies and other deliveries but his leg spin is more dangerous than other balls. He’ll be my back-up spinner in the squad.
Tim Southee
T20I stats: 69 innings, 78 wickets at 27.4, economy rate: 8.46
Southee, the vice-captain, is the most experienced bowler of the Kiwis. He is the spearhead of the Kiwis’ attack, having 78 wickets in T20Is, the most by any Kiwi bowler in T20Is. In the absence of Williamson, he can lead the team also.
Trent Boult
T20I stats: 27 innings, 39 wickets at 21.9, economy rate: 8.64
The left-arm quick from New Zealand is the most lethal bowler with the new ball in his hand. Swinging the ball on both sides and directing some perfect yorkers in the death makes him the perfect T20 bowler. He has 39 wickets in T20Is with an economy rate of 8.64.
(Photo by Andy Kearns/Getty Images)
Lockie Ferguson
T20I stats: eight innings, 14 wickets at 15.8, economy rate: 7.16
Another youngster, he is a very fast bowler who can bowl at 90 miles an our and strike the ball hard. The batsman can easily get confused and has a very small reaction time while facing the ball from Ferguson’s gun. He is just new in international cricket but his extra pace will be useful in Australian conditions.
Matt Henry
T20I stats: six innings, seven wickets at 27.3, economy rate: 8.68
Henry is the bowler who can consistently bowl within the wickets with minor swing. His minor swing causes more trouble because batsmen can’t calculate how much the ball will swing. He was the man of the match in the semi-final of the 2019 World Cup against India.
First-choice playing XI: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson (captain), Ross Taylor, Tim Seifert (wicketkeeper), Colin de Grandhomme, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.
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