The BLACKCAPS and White Ferns are ready for the ICC World Twenty20 Championship in the West Indies. Each team has trained hard and is fit and ready to go.
The question posed is: What are our chances of bringing home the silverware?
The White Ferns have the better track record of the two teams, having finished second behind England in the last ICC World Twenty20 and enter this tournament with nine wins from their last ten games . The BLACKCAPS were semi-finalists in 2007.
http://www.blackcaps.co.nz/ went out to a couple of New Zealand’s well know sports journalists to gauge their view on the two teams.
Bryan Waddle
Bryan Waddle has been referred to as the “voice of New Zealand cricket”. His dulcet tones and insightful views can be heard throughout the year on Radio Sport and Sky Sport.
Where do you think we will finish in the competition, and why do you think that?
Bearing in mind past performances at Twenty20 it’s hard to pick New Zealand as winners, but such is the quality of the team they can’t be ruled out.
There's an element of luck involved in Twenty20 and if it runs New Zealand's way they are capable of reaching the semi finals and from there anything is possible. There are some tough games in the Super Eight stage, Pakistan, South Africa and England, if all goes to seeding, and to qualify from there will be a tremendous effort.
Who do you think is our biggest competition?
The toughest competition will come from Australia, as ever, Pakistan the defending champions and South Africa.
Do you think the conditions will benefit the Kiwi teams?
Pitch conditions have often been similar to those in New Zealand and on slower pitches New Zealand will enjoy such conditions. The hardest part will be if it’s hot, that doesn’t always play in New Zealand's favour.
Who are some of the players to watch?
Players who have been playing IPL and have been in great form along with a few others, my list of possible stares of the tournament Shane Watson, Mike Hussey, Michael Clarke, Kevin Pietersen, MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ross Taylor, Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori, Shahid Afridi, Jacques Kallis, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo.
Sam Worthington
Sam Worthington is a rising star within the sports journalism world. He produces accurate and insightful stories for the Dominion Post in Wellington. Last year he was nominated for a number of sports journalism awards.
Where do you think we will finish in the competition, and why do you think that?
BLACKCAPS: semi-finalists. It is the traditional stage for the BLACKCAPS to bow out at World Cups so it is a safe punt! With Shane Bond, Jesse Ryder, Kyle Mills and co all available the BLACKCAPS have enough firepower to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Australia and India. The big question mark is a lack of recent top quality cricket under the belt for some of the players returning from injury, especially Ryder and Mills. Making an immediate statement on the world stage might be too much to ask.
White Ferns: winners. The White Ferns dominated Australia in the recent Rose Bowl Twenty20 series and look to have that format nailed. The likes of Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates provide genuine firepower with bat and ball plus Lucy Doolan is back from injury to add batting and bowling options, and conditions should suit her off-spin.
Who do you think is our biggest competition?
BLACKCAPS: No surprises here – Australia and India both have star studded line-ups and should be firmly in the semi-finals mix. Australia has picked specialists and will be wanting to make amends for poor showings in the tournament to date while India have plenty of form IPL players to pick from. Sri Lanka are the dark horse with Lasith Malinga in lethal IPL form and their spinners should suit the conditions.
Do you think the conditions will benefit the Kiwi teams?
Not really – New Zealand’s batsmen traditionally play pace better than spin so if, as expected, the pitches are turning, that may pose some problems. Obviously Daniel Vettori is world class but whether Nathan McCullum and Rob Nicol are effective with short boundaries in place remains to be seen. Scott Styris’ cutters should be utilised.
Who are some of the players to watch?
For the BLACKCAPS, Ryder’s return alongside Brendon McCullum opening the batting will be fascinating to watch while Bates’ power hitting looms as a trump card for the White Ferns.
