ICC World Cup 2019 Match 29, New Zealand v West Indies: Preview, likely XIs, predictions

Kane Williamson’s sparkling century helped New Zealand continue their unbeaten run in the ICC World Cup 2019 as they beat South Africa in a thrilling last-over finish at Edgbaston. The West Indies, on the other hand, were run over by Bangladesh at Taunton as a Shakib Al Hasan masterclass made a mockery of the 322-run target.

When New Zealand and West Indies meet at Old Trafford on Saturday, 22 June it will be clash between a team looking to consolidate its position in the top four and get close to a spot in the semi-final and a team that’s been on a slide since winning its first match.

New Zealand have ticked all the boxes so far, and while they had couple of easy ties against Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, they did win games from tight situations against Bangladesh and South Africa, proving their mettle as a team that can play its way out of tough situations.

Williamson and Ross Taylor have been the pillars of the New Zealand batting, supported well by openers Martin Guptill and Colin Munro. And in their last match Colin de Grandhomme played brilliantly for his 60 off 47, sharing a 91-run match-turning stand with Williamson. De Grandhomme is also part of the troika of all-rounders including Jimmy Neesham and Mitchell Santner, who provide the much-needed balance to the XI.

The bowling attack comprising of Trent Boult, Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson has done well to not concede a single 300-plus total in any of their completed matches thus far. New Zealand look a well-rounded unit.

The West Indies’ tale has been less pleasant. They were bowled out for 212 by England and so the batsmen made up for it by getting 321 runs against Bangladesh, only to be outclassed by Hasan and Liton Das. The bowlers’ excessive reliance on the short ball despite having very little success against the Bangladeshi batsmen is a cause for concern. Equally perturbing was the absence of a spinner from the West Indies XI in their last two games – they have two in their squad: Ashley Nurse and Fabian Allen.

There have been pleasant news too: Evin Lewis’ form ahead of this crucial tie is one of them. After managing 1 and 2 in his first two outings, Lewis hit 70 off 67 balls against Bangladesh and helped his side recover after losing Chris Gayle for a duck. Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer hit half centuries too, and Jason Holder’s 15-ball 33 at the death added a nice finishing touch.

However, the injury management of all-rounder Andre Russell has been a problem. Russell got a duck against Bangladesh and bowled just 6 overs. He has been troubled frequently by a bad knee and problems with his left wrist. On evidence of his recent outings – 0, 1/42; 21, 0/14; 15, 2/41 – Russell seems to have coped with his issues satisfactorily but with his absence from the field becoming a problem, West Indies may consider replacing him with Carlos Brathwaite.

Head to head

It’s a close race between the two teams in ODI cricket with West Indies just leading New Zealand 30-27. In the World Cup too there is a tight tussle, only this time New Zealand lead 4-3. The last time the two teams met was in a three-match series in New Zealand, where hosts won 3-0.

Key players

Kane Williamson (New Zealand): Captain Kane was his ship’s saviour against South Africa and riding on his first century at this World Cup, he is expected to weather the barrage of short balls that the West Indies pacers are likely to throw at the New Zealanders. His three scores in the tournament have been in ascending order: 40, 79*, 106*.

Shai Hope (West Indies): One of the most consistent West Indies batsman in the World Cup, Hope has already hit two half centuries from No. 3. With the ability to bat for long periods and accelerate at the death in a team full of dazzling big-hitters, he is his West Indies’ MVP.

Likely XIs

New Zealand: Colin Munro (wk), Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, Colin de Grandhomme, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.

West Indies: Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Shai Hope (wk), Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder (c), Carlos Brathwaite, Ashley Nurse, Sheldon Cottrell, Oshane Thomas.

Prediction

New Zealand maintain their unbeaten run in the tournament and get one step close to booking a semi-final berth.