Having cruised to a nine-wicket win over England in the World Cup opener in Ahmedabad – chasing the target of 283 in just 36.2 overs – New Zealand, a team that usually flies under the radar at world events, have made an early, emphatic announcement of being considered serious title contenders. That they could crush the defending champions as easily despite the absence of three key players – Kane Williamson, Tim Southee and Lockie Ferguson – only reinforces the strength of the squad.
Despite fairly different conditions from what’s on offer in New Zealand, Phillips credits the IPL experience for the control with which the team played the two warm-up games and the opening encounter.
“Obviously, we’ve got guys who have played in various IPL teams,” Phillips said. “Myself and Kane playing here obviously brings a little bit of an advantage to giving information to the boys. We try to take all the information and put it together and as I said, come on the day and adapt to the conditions as fast as possible. Obviously, a pitch can play differently one day than it will for another. So, for us to be able to collate that information, understand what we have in our bank, and stick to our strengths and skills on that particular pitch will be very important.
“When 90% of the teams are away teams, it almost levels the playing field quite nicely. India have the home advantage and they play incredibly strong cricket at home. But with the other subcontinent teams Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, these are still a semi-foreign conditions to them… so for us to be able to go out there and try to adapt as quickly as possible on the day [will be key]. I think that’s what we pride ourselves on understanding that you get one shot at each team and it comes down to who can adjust to the conditions on the day. Most of us are all actually very foreign to these conditions, barring probably guys who have had a lot of success in the IPL over the years.”
However, with only one game down, he has stressed that the team is trying to not get too carried away by victories or even fall too low in defeat. “The mood is very neutral. Obviously, we enjoyed the first win incredibly much, but obviously, with the tournament being such a quick turnaround, we try to keep things as neutral as possible, not get too high when we win and not get too low when we lose. And I think that’s the key for us throughout this competition.”
Rachin Ravindra, who was picked in the XI as a fill-in for the injured Williamson, became the third youngest centurion at the World Cup as he cracked a 96-ball 123*, a knock which included 11 boundaries and 5 sixes, and was declared Player of the Match. While Williamson’s expected return for New Zealand’s third game could lead to some selection headaches, Glenn Phillips isn’t surprised by what Rachin did deliver in his absence and can deliver in the future.
“I wasn’t surprised at all [by Rachin’s knock],” Phillips admitted on Sunday. “Obviously, I’ve played a lot of cricket with him back home and he actually plays a very aggressive brand of one-day cricket being at the top of the order. He likes to play with a lot of flair. He plays that square drive incredibly well, which with the new ball is an absolute asset. And then the way he combined with Dev [Devon Conway] as well, the tempo they both set, they struck at 120, 130 without even almost lifting a finger. It was phenomenal to watch.”
The unbeaten 273-run stand between Rachin and Devon Conway helped New Zealand overhaul England’s total, with the latter also stroking his maiden World Cup century (121-ball 152*), carrying forward the good show from the second warm-up game. The performance, Phillips believes, bodes well for the side.
“They were absolutely brilliant. Obviously 270-odd run partnership is phenomenal, especially for two guys in their first World Cup. I guess from a team perspective it’s really nice to know that those two boys are in some serious form and obviously everyone in the warm-up games obviously had a nice little head out and yeah, it’s a good feeling in the camp at the moment,” Phillips said.
They will be up against a side that maybe lacking in experience and game-time but did manage to give a scare to their opponents – Pakistan – in the tournament opener despite eventually losing by a margin of 81 runs. Phillips admitted that New Zealand will be cautious of the threat Netherlands are likely to pose in their contest on Monday in Hyderabad, especially with their self-admitted nothing-to-lose approach.
“We approach every game the same way every time, every team is strong in their own right, especially on the given day. The Netherlands have a lot of strong players, and we’re going to have to still put our best foot forward, as I’m sure they will. So, keep coming up with our plans, doing our scouting, making sure that we have everything set in place, and not taking any team lightly.
“I think they’re a really good team. Obviously, they’ve beaten quite a few good opponents to be able to qualify for the tournament in the first place. So, they’re a team definitely not to be taken lightly. They have a lot of high professional cricketers that play all through county cricket as well. So, they’ve definitely got a good skill set. They know their roles. They bond together well as a team. And I definitely think they’re going to be a tough team to beat in this competition.”
