Report Card: New Zealand
Results summary
No Result v Australia
Lost to England by 87 runs
Lost to Bangladesh by 5 wickets
What went wrong?
Kane Williamson’s men will be scratching their heads as to how they failed to win a game in this tournament, knowing that if they had, they would have qualified for the semi-finals. In fairness, luck wasn’t on New Zealand’s side in its tournament opener against Australia. The Kiwis looked on course for a win, with the Aussies struggling on 55-3 in pursuit of 292, when the rain came down at Edgbaston. And in the do-or-die game versus Bangladesh, victory looked assured until a sensational fifth-wicket stand of 224 between Shakib and Mahmudullah threw a spanner in the works. A frustrating tournament of missed opportunities for the Black Caps.
Positives to take home?
Williamson lived up to his billing as one of the game’s elite batsmen, hitting a majestic ton against Australia and 87 and 57 versus England and Bangladesh respectively. The right-arm speedster Adam Milne was a threat throughout, picking up six wickets. The Kiwis can take heart from the fact that Milne, who has been dogged by injuries throughout his career, came through the tournament unscathed. Tim Southee showed his class with a superb opening spell against Bangladesh, only for the Tigers to come roaring back.
Areas for improvement?
Luke Ronchi and Ross Taylor showed flashes of brilliance but in general the batting unit was far too reliant on Williamson, with the Kiwi captain scoring almost a third of his team’s runs. The defeat to England was a case in point, as New Zealand collapsed from 158-2 to 223 all out following Williamson’s dismissal. The team looked a specialist batsman short throughout the tournament, with Neil Broom (61 runs at 20, strike-rate 76) struggling to provide impetus from the middle order. In the bowling department, Trent Boult was not the penetrative force he usually is, taking just three wickets with an economy-rate of 5.50. And the Kiwi brains trust may regret not giving Jeetan Patel an opportunity. The veteran off-spinner has a wealth of experience in English conditions but was stuck warming the bench as the same XI was selected for all three matches. Meanwhile the left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner was relatively ineffective, taking one wicket and conceding 5.61 runs per over. As New Zealand now looks ahead to the 2019 ICC World Cup in England, the formula of its side requires further deliberation.
**What next?**New Zealand will have plenty of time to mull over its disappointing ICC Champions Trophy campaign. The team is not scheduled to play another international fixture until next February, when the Black Caps take on England and Australia in a Twenty20 tri-series.
Overall gradeC