'Timid' NZ tactics questioned after T20 World Cup exit

2 years ago 81

New Zealand has been accused of playing a "timid" marque of cricket aft being handily beaten by underdogs Pakistan successful the T20 World Cup semi-final.

Despite being 1 of the signifier teams passim the tournament's radical stages, the Black Caps proved to beryllium nary lucifer for the rampant Pakistanis, who ran retired seven-wicket winners to publication their archetypal T20 last summons since winning the tourney backmost successful 2009.

After winning the flip and electing to bat first, New Zealand's attack was a stark opposition to its swashbuckling batting show successful the World Cup opener against Australia astatine the aforesaid venue conscionable weeks earlier.

Skipper Kane Williamson, who has travel nether occurrence for his scoring rate, erstwhile again struggled to accelerate, eating up 42 balls for his 46 earlier being dismissed successful the second overs.

While New Zealand's bowlers were good beneath their best, erstwhile Australian planetary Callum Ferguson pointed the digit squarely astatine the Black Caps' batting performance.

"I thought New Zealand was a small spot timid, to beryllium honest," helium said connected Nine's coverage.

"I thought they sat backmost a small spot with the bat aboriginal and didn't instrumentality the caller shot connected erstwhile it looked a precise adust wicket. From what we've seen successful the past week oregon two, that was the clip to currency successful and they didn't.

"They were timid and they've been punished contiguous by a Pakistan broadside that has superior momentum now, they are looking each spot the champions."

The opposition successful the 2 teams' performances was evident successful the bound count. New Zealand mustered conscionable 12 successful full successful its innings, portion Pakistan's openers Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam deed 9 wrong the archetypal six overs of the tally chase.

Former Australian skipper Mark Taylor echoed Ferguson's sentiment, saying the lucifer was decided by the batting powerplays successful either innings, some of which were won comprehensively by Pakistan.

"New Zealand had to triumph the 2nd powerplay," helium said connected Nine's coverage.

"They mislaid the archetypal powerplay erstwhile they won the flip and elected to bat archetypal and lone made 38 with 2 wickets down (in their archetypal six overs).

Stream each the large matches from the men's T20 World Cup, including the finals, unrecorded and escaped on 9Now

"When Pakistan came retired for the tally chase, they had to onslaught aboriginal with the ball. They dropped Babar Azam's archetypal transportation helium faced and that was a large turning point. Steve O'Keefe often talks astir these one-ball turnarounds, that was a monolithic shot successful this crippled due to the fact that Babar and Rizwan spell connected to marque half-centuries each.

"They won some of those archetypal stages of some innings and truthful won the crippled reasonably comfortably."

For a regular dose of the champion of the breaking quality and exclusive contented from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!