New Zealand and ICC tournaments are synonymous with bitter-sweet moments. Usually, New Zealand make it to the later stages of various ICC tournaments, only to miss on winning the big prize. They have still won a couple of ICC trophies – The ICC Knockout tournament in 2000 and the World Test Championship in 2021. New Zealand are now all geared up to participate in the Champions Trophy, which is basically a tweaked version of ICC Knockout, with the tournament being played on the basis of splitting teams into two groups.
Here’s a brief analysis of the New Zealand squad:
The New Zealand unit is going through a transition phase, with Mitchell Santner taking over the mantle of leading the side in abridged versions from Kane Williamson. The veteran pace duo of Tim Southee and Trent Boult have bid adieu to international cricket. However, New Zealand still have enough firepower to chisel a way out of a group that has the traditional rivals – India and Pakistan, alongside Bangladesh.
In Ben Sears and Will O’Rourke, they have two young fast bowlers who are renowned for bowling with a burst of pace and extracting bounce. In unfamiliar climes – Pakistan and Dubai – they might still struggle to adjust, but make no mistake the pace pair have the potential to become genuine wicket-takers across formats. Nathan Smith, another young cricketer, could also turn out to be a useful seam-bowling option. He is also a handy customer with the bat, down the order.
Meanwhile, the onus is on Matt Henry to lead the pace attack. Henry is one of the better seamers going around, arguably he is the best at using the wobble-seam delivery. Lockie Ferguson, who is now one of the experienced bowlers in the set-up, will add more pace to the arsenal.
For the Latest Sports News: Click Here
We still have to touch upon Santner, their spin spearhead. The left-arm spinner, who can also make handy contributions with the bat, has mastered the art of subtle changes in pace and flight, along with unremitting control. His economy rate of 4.84 in ODIs exemplifies his skills. On some of the slower decks in Asia, he would have a major role to play. Glenn Phillips, who has improved as a spinner, and Michael Bracewell, yet another all-rounder, will be his spin colleagues.
The batting unit will again revolve around Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Phillips and Devon Conway. Tom Latham, the Test skipper, has been assigned with wicketkeeping duties.
Verdict – New Zealand have a tendency to punch above their weight in ICC tournaments. They might sneak through to the last-four stage of the tournament.
Among Group A teams, Bangladesh also have announced their squad. Litton Das being left out of the squad is the main talking point. It is true that Litton averaged a paltry 1.20 last year, but he is still one of those players who can turbo-charge their batting engine with his range of shots. So, Bangladesh could have shown some faith in him. This is what Litton had to say to the press reporters after scoring a ton in the Bangladesh Premier League: “There is nothing to prove to anyone and I am not interested to prove anything to anyone.”
With Shakib Al Hasan failing a bowling reassessment test in Chennai and Tamim Iqbal’s retirement from internationals, Bangladesh have entered a new phase. All eyes will be on Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim, the two remaining experienced cricketers in the squad, to shoulder the responsibility in the batting department. Mahmudullah, in particular, was in supreme form last year, averaging almost 50 in this format. Najmul Hossain, the skipper, also was in fine form in 2024. Tanzid Hasan and Towhid Hridoy are two of the younger players in the set-up. Among them, Towhid looks promising.
With Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana, Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman in the ranks, Bangladesh also have some variety in the pace attack. Mehidy Hasan, who is also decent with the bat, Nasum Ahmed and Rishad Hossain will lead the spin attack.
Verdict – The 50-over format suits Bangladesh to an extent but it could prove to be difficult for them to reach the semifinals.
Also Read: Iyer 2.0 redefines domestic toil after BCCI contract snub