The road to the ICC World Cup 2011 quarter-finals: New Zealand – Part 1
Though the New Zealand side is not the favourites to win the ICC World Cup 2011 in many books but few will bet against them qualifying for at least the quarter-finals of the tournament. The Kiwi side had a wealth of experience to call on and was led by their
influential captain Daniel Vettori.
Placed in Group A, the Kiwi’s had to face the daunting task of dealing with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Canada-c748.
New Zealand knew they had to make the most of their opening match against Kenya at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. The http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 side had the ball to work with in the first innings, as they looked to restrict the Kenyans to a reachable total. Instead they
exceeded expectations when they had the entire Kenyan team bowled out in 23.5 overs for a total of 69 runs.
Tim Southee and Jacob Oram were in devastating form ripping through the Kenyan batting line-up with three wickets each. None of the Kenyan batsmen managed to make more than 16 runs, as Hamish Bennett cleaned up the rest of the wickets claiming four scalps.
That meant the Kiwis needed just 70 runs in 50 overs to secure their first win and first two points of the tournament. Something the New Zealand opening pair of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Martin-c74834 Guptill and Brendon McCullum had no issue in chasing. Guptill made a quick fire 39 runs
off 32 balls and was supported by a similar knock of 26 runs from 17 balls by McCullum, as the Kiwi’s cruised to a humiliating 10 wicket win over the dismal Kenyans.
With their first victory in the tournament secured, the Kiwis had to face their neighbors and rivals, the Australians in what was to be their first true test against an opponent with serious pedigree on the international stage. Batting first the Kiwi’s top-order
struggled against a disciplined Australian bowling performance. Nathan McCullum’s half century and captain Daniel Vettori’s 44 runs were all that the Kiwi’s had to cheer about, as they battled their way to a disappointing total of 206 runs.
This meant that the New Zealand bowling attack had to be on the top of the game if they wanted any chance of getting a result against the team unbeaten in the competition since 1999. The New Zealand side was fighting a losing battle from the start and only
managed to take three wickets, as they lost to the Australians by 7 wickets.
This however, did not deter them and the New Zealand team knew that they had a chance to gain some ground in the table when they faced Zimbabwe in their next match. Having to bowl first, the Kiwi bowlers combined well to ensure that the Zimbabweans managed
to score no more than 162 runs before being bowled all out. Southee added three more wickets to his tally, as he was becoming a serious threat to any side that found themselves between him and the wickets.
Continued in Part 2
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