New Zealand, the dark horse? Think again

INDIA EYE FINAL BERTH AGAINST ‘DARK HORSE’ NEW ZEALAND, read a newspaper headline on the day of the first semifinal of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup between India and New Zealand. While the story contained in-depth analysis of what a team that was tagged to reach the final before the start of the competition had to do to get past the Kiwi hurdle, what really stood out was how it was still naming the Black Caps the dark horses.

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While there’s no really trouble in naming the team as the dark horse for a competition — as it gives the writer the liberty to speculate about the side without really worrying about their performance — what really bothered is that the New Zealand side has been carrying this tag for far too long at the World Cups. Although their performance at the biggest stage has been anything but topsy turvy (see table below), the last three editions has seen them take a major leap and assert themselves as a force to reckon with.

After a semifinal finish at the 2007 and the 2011 World Cups, the Kiwis were firing on all cylinders when the World Cup went Down Under. They maintained an all-win record en route the final, but eventually had no answer to the Australian might. But despite such a track record, the Kiwis were once again the ‘dark horses’ coming into the 2019 World Cup. It’s just not on the historical front that the Kane Williamson-led side hold the advantage over others. 2019 has seen the Blacks Caps enjoy a fine run in the ODIs. Of the 11 matches that they played before the World Cup, they managed wins in seven while losing the remaining four.

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Dark horses or otherwise, at the World Cup, New Zealand have shown that they mean business. Though they stumbled a bit after a free-flowing start to their campaign, Williamson and his side ensured that they did enough to make it to the semifinal. And once the knockouts ensued, they were a different team altogether. Against India, a team that was undoubtedly the best at the competition, the Kiwis brought their ‘A’ game to the fore and dismantled their world class batting order in no time. Though Ravindra Jadeja, Rishab Pant and Hardik Pandya tried their best to rescue their side from the shocker, nothing worked against the Kiwis who cruised to their second straight final.

Come the final, there’s no doubt that England will start as the favourites. After all, the side has been on a roll at the World Cup and to add to that, they are in their own backyard. But if recent history is anything to go by, it will be silly to right off the Kiwis just yet.

Feature image courtesy: AFP Photo/ Dibyangshu Sarkar