When looking at the New Zealand cricket team as it stands today it is tough to believe that this was the same team who, just over three years ago, couldn’t string together a decent performance for all the money in the world. As a Blackcaps supporter myself, I have watched this team develop into a potential “top” team (as they are known in the cricketing world) who could sit amongst the likes of Australia, South Africa and India.
So what exactly has changed? New Zealand appointed new coach Mike Hesson back in July of 2012,and with no international playing experience under his belt it was difficult not to allow the pessimistic thoughts to flood one’s mind. These flames were only fuelled during the controversial sacking of then captain Ross Taylor for Brendon McCullum, who was a close personal friend of Hesson. The manner in which the changeover occurred was unprofessional and just cruel, causing Taylor to step away from cricket and reevaluate his future as a member of the team. Fast forward to 2014 and the situation is unrecognisable. Sacking Taylor, however inappropriate the means in which it was done were, was the best thing for the Kiwis. Under McCullum as well as Hesson, they have blossomed from a team dominated by young, fairly inexperienced players to that aggressive underdog you can’t help rooting for. New Zealand, more often than not, are greatly underestimated, with McCullum following a rule book he clearly wrote himself. But the aggressive nature of their leader and his unorthodox captaincy are exactly what this team needs and is exactly what they respond to. McCullum shows each player an immense amount of respect and delivers his full confidence in backing them to do their job. He himself is no slouch either and captains this team from the front.
Helping New Zealand and McCullum along are the individual talents that fuel both the batting and the bowling. The bowling attack, under the watchful eye of former Blackcaps quick bowler Shane Bond, which New Zealand present are filled with young talent to lead the way. Their front line seam bowlers or the “Swing Kings” as they might also be referred to are Trent Boult and Tim Southee. Both are young, tall and quick, with the added bonus of being a left-hand/right-hand opening pair combination respectively. These two as a pair are currently the most successful wicket-takers away from home in the last two years. Combined, they have taken 82 wickets alone in the past four test series’ (or ten test matches) which New Zealand have played in (two away and two home) spanning from October 2013 to June 2014. Boult is currently sitting on a Strike Rate of 55.7 and an economy of just 2.95. Southee is at SR of 57.7 and his economy stands at 3.09.
The batting is nothing to be huffed at either. New Zealand have had some struggles regarding their opening pair. Previously Peter Fulton and Hamish Rutherford took the places, but NZ have always stated they were a team looking for young players to invest in for the future, meaning Fulton had no long term place with them. Recently, 22 year old Tom Latham has stepped up to the plate and has filled the position successfully. However, Rutherford continues to struggle, recording just one innings (his debut innings) as anything to write home about. Luckily for New Zealand, if their opening pair was to fail, they have plenty of players to pick up the ball and run with it, with names like Ross Taylor, captain McCullum and all-rounders Corey Anderson and Jimmy Neesham finding their ways onto the batting card. However, no.3 batsman, Kane Williamson is the one everyone wants to see.
In the last 10 test matches played by New Zealand, Williamson has missed just one game. In the other nine test matches he has clocked up 940 runs, with three scores being over 100 and failing to score at least 40 in only three innings. If ever there was a textbook example of consistency, this man would be the definition. He has joined an elite test match playing group of cricketers who have scored 7 test centuries or more before the age of 24 (he is currently 23) and with the future captaincy role in his hands, the future can only be bright for both him and this team.
With New Zealand picking up test series wins against West Indies (twice – both home and away ) as well as India in the last two years, the label “underdog” no longer sits with them. They do, however, have a few more things to work on. New Zealand have been tormented with the curse of inconsistency as a team. They are able to put on a stellar performance, just to crumble during the next with an identical line-up. They are also guilty of relying too much on key players within their squad to carry the team, a very risky move as sport is too often categorised as being an activity influenced heavily by what happens on the day. Despite this, New Zealand are becoming a team to watch. They are becoming a team demanding respect and with the performances they deliver, it is respect well earned.
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