Related Links
With the initial group stages out of the way the ICC World Twenty20 moves into the more challenging Super 8 stage.
The BLACKCAPS narrowly beat Sri Lanka in the opening match of the tournament with Nathan McCullum hitting a six off the penultimate ball. They then brushed aside Zimbabwe with a seven run Duckworth/Lewis calculated win to go through unbeaten.
Coach Mark Greatbatch is pleased with their start but knows things are only going to get harder as the tournament progresses.
“Now obviously we have got some tougher opposition in South Africa tomorrow,” he said. “It’s then Pakistan and then England in St Lucia. Really, it’s a matter of us continuing on our winning way.”
The BLACKCAPS are on a roll and are keen to carry that momentum through.
“We have won five in a row now with a couple of them being practice matches. We beat Australia in Christchurch, we have beaten the West Indies, we have beaten Ireland and now Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe so at the end of the day winning is a habit,” Greatbatch recalled.
It has been the bowling attack who have starred so far but the pitches in Barbados and St Lucia are considered much better than the low, slow, tracks in Guyana with the expectation shifting to the top four.
“I think we are going to have to up out anti with our batting. It’s going to be a key area against South Africa, and probably pace is what they will hit us with.
“We have got to have a strategy to go hard against them and take on some of there best players like Dale Steyn, Kallis and Morkle.
“It’s going to be a great challenge and we are looking forward to it,” he concluded.
Super 8’s
6/05/2010 - BLACKCAPS vs South Africa - C1 v B2
Kensington Oval, Barbados
+1day NZ, 5:30am .
8/05/2010 - BLACKCAPS vs Pakistan - A1 v B2
Kensington Oval, Barbados
+1day NZ, 1:30am .
10/05/2010 - BLACKCAPS vs England - B2 v D2
Beausejour Cricket Ground, St Lucia
+1day NZ, 5:30am
