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CRICKET-WC-2019-NZL-VETTORI
Vettori urges New Zealand not to panic after World Cup blow
LONDON, June 30, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Former New Zealand star Daniel Vettori
insists his country are still World Cup contenders despite their recent
stumbles.
New Zealand suffered their second defeat of the tournament against
Australia at Lord’s on Saturday, losing by 86 runs against the holders after
a defeat to Pakistan in their previous game.
The Black Caps are not assured of a semi-final berth with one game left
against title rivals England next week.
But Vettori remains confident the 2015 World Cup runners-up will stay calm
ahead of the England clash and should be capable of advancing to the knockout
stages.
“I still definitely feel that this New Zealand side can make history and
win it all,” Vettori said in an ICC Media column.
“Two losses at this stage will be tough to take but they have been so good
for so long and have so many experienced players that I am sure they will
pull through.
“It is a bit tighter now, but I still think they will feel pretty
confident. Even if every result goes against them, their net run rate should
still put them into the semi-finals.
“The nature of this New Zealand team for an extended period of time now
has been to stay pretty constant, to not panic.”
Vettori says New Zealand have been playing well enough not to lose faith
in their game-plan.
“They will understand that they have played some really good cricket in
this tournament,” he said.
“They will need to call on all their nous to get through against the
hosts.
“But even if they don’t win against England and go through via net run
rate, or other results going their way, I still think they will walk into the
semi-finals thinking they can beat anyone on their day.”
Vettori’s main concern is New Zealand’s ability to score enough runs to
put opponents in trouble on slow pitches, with the Black Caps yet to reach
300 in the tournament.
“The only question mark for them will be the surfaces they were playing
on. It looks like across the board the surfaces are getting lower and
slower,” he said.
“That makes it more difficult for batting and those partnerships are going
to become more important, I am sure that will be a big focus against
England.”
BSS/AFP/BZC/1900HRS