New Zealand must keep discipline in World Cup quarter-final, says Stephen Fleming
'The belief within the country is that the Black Caps can win the World Cup for the first time'
Friday 20 March 2015 10:17, UK
Guest ICC columnist Stephen Fleming says that New Zealand must stay disciplined in order to better an unpredictable West Indies in their Wellington quarter-final…
New Zealand's World Cup quarter-final against the West Indies is an intriguing clash of styles.
It is the discipline of a host nation on a golden run of form - admittedly with a fair amount of flair from the likes of Brendon McCullum - up against a line-up of instinctive individuals with a form graph that has gone up and down like a boat on a storm-tossed ocean.
The West Indies lost to Ireland and South Africa earlier in the tournament and the way they folded in those matches suggested a side that still has scars of the recent off-field ructions.
That folding in the face of an opposition onslaught was seen against New Zealand last summer, when Corey Anderson and Jesse Ryder pummelled the Caribbean side's attack to all parts of Queenstown as the home team racked up 283 in just 21 overs in a rain-reduced encounter.
But it is also worth remembering that later in that same series the West Indies scored a series-levelling win in Hamilton by handing New Zealand one of its heaviest-ever ODI defeats, by 203 runs, after scoring 363-4.
Talismanic
That is part of the excitement about this match, wondering which West Indies side will turn up, especially as the talismanic Chris Gayle is under an injury cloud with back trouble. The maxim is simple: when they are bad, then they are awful but when they are good, they are world-beaters.
In the West Indies' favour is a train of thought that in big matches, it is individuals who win the day. Look at MS Dhoni in the last World Cup final, or Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist in 2003 and 2007 respectively.
On that basis, it is up to McCullum's men to ensure there is no scope for that individual flair to flourish within the West Indies ranks as, if it does, then that special performance by one player has the potential to carry the rest of the side along in its slipstream.
It confirms the need for New Zealand to hit the ground running in Wellington, whether that is with bat or ball, and in the field.
New Zealand will be confident and they have every right to be after six straight wins in the tournament, the latest of which against Bangladesh, helped fill in a few pieces of the jigsaw.
Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor and Grant Elliott all spent time in the middle, and the fact the middle and lower orders both got the chance to bat under pressure in a tight run chase will stand everyone in good stead ahead of the sudden death action, with the level of pressure from now on of a completely different magnitude.
Stellar
There is a weight of expectation that has been built up around this team - and rightly so, because of its stellar recent performances.
The belief within the country is that the Black Caps can win the World Cup for the first time and if New Zealand's one bad day were to come in this quarter-final or the semi-final, then that would really burst the bubble.
McCullum did indicate post-match against Bangladesh that he was not entirely content with the level of focus in the field in Hamilton and he has said on numerous occasions in the past that for his team to compete at the very highest end of the spectrum, every possible run has to be saved and every possible catch held.
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I do not think commitment of that kind will be an issue against the West Indies as if you cannot be focused for a match like this, then you will never be focused. And the captain and coach have the belief in the players, something that will breed confidence within the group.
Nerves will be there, of course they will. But maintaining the attitude and approach that has stood the Black Caps in such good stead over the past year or so should be enough to carry them into a semi-final spot.
Although, against such an unpredictable side as the West Indies that has some fantastic match-winners, anything could happen. It all makes the match even more exciting to contemplate.
Column from www.icc-cricket.com courtesy of 2015 © ICC Development (International) Limited.
Watch New Zealand's quarter-final against West Indies live on Sky Sports World Cup from 12.30am on Saturday.
