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The first full-nation member to announce their T20 World Cup 2024 squad and among the first from the category to face a group-stage exit, New Zealand have had a shocker of a campaign. A perception has built in recent years about the Black Caps that no matter what their performance is in the bilateral series, they will rise to the occasion when it comes to global events.
It hasn't been the case in the ongoing T20 World Cup. An undercooked Kiwi contingent, bar the players, arrived in the Caribbean in late May and had the first look of the pitch on June 7, the day of their opening fixture against Afghanistan. New Zealand were also one of the few teams who didn't play a practice game, which would otherwise have been vital leading up to the multi-nation event.
A handful of Kiwi players did have some T20 cricket in IPL 2024 and the series against Pakistan, but none apart from Trent Boult was the first-choice player for their respective IPL sides. The damning fact is that Glenn Phillips, who top-scored for them against Afghanistan and West Indies, didn't get even a game in IPL 2024.
Devon Conway would have taken off from where he left the prolific IPL 2023 had injury not taken place. Williamson featured in two matches, Mitchell Santner made three appearances, Lockie Ferguson played seven, and Matt Henry got four caps. Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra played 13 and 10 games, respectively, but either failed to find the consistency or didn't play in fixed positions.
In fact, bowling has not even remotely been the problem for New Zealand in this World Cup. A batting unit, headlined by the calm and composed presence of Williamson and proven match-winners in abundance, saw two insipid performances, the first of which almost sealed their exit route. The second was a vindication for the need of winds of change.
The perception that the Black Caps will just 'turn up' in the ICC event in relatively alien conditions didn't quite happen and expecting it to was slightly unrealistic.
New Zealand show signs of decline since their World Test Championship final triumph
The seeds of the requirement for a change have been coming for a while now, especially after their World Test Championship final victory in 2021. Sandwiched between their two semi-final and one final appearance, there was a Test loss to Bangladesh and England at home along with a host of limited-overs series defeats, including comprehensive ones in Australia and India.
Yet, New Zealand maintained the same crop of players, given their penchant for stepping up during the global events. But recent results, headlined by the failure to beat Australia in a Test series at home in two decades and a World Cup debacle, signal it might be time for a change.
The key questions before them are: does Gary Stead deserve an extended run as coach? Should Kane Williamson and Tim Southee continue to play T20Is? Should the veteran stick to only ODIs and Tests? Seemingly, a stagnancy has set in the New Zealand set-up and only a new vision can help break the shackles.
Even as one of their youngest players in Mark Chapman turns 30 this month, Williamson offered optimism about New Zealand's future. Yet, the veteran expressed frustration at how wrong things have gone, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:
"There's still guys that will be here for some time. We needed to have been better in these conditions specifically. We knew that it was going to be a real scrap and it was not going to be easy but if you win some small moments, match-ups go your way, then that can be a defining element to your whole tournament. And it hasn't happened for us, which is frustrating."
Trent Boult's departure could mean struggling times for New Zealand
Even as there is talk of doing away with the old-timers and blooding new talent, the Black Caps only have a limited amount of players to choose from. A case in point is Trent Boult, who has been prolific for New Zealand across formats for over a decade, but has announced this will be his final edition.
With Southee turning 35 and unlikely to play in another ODI World Cup, it is time the Kiwis start grooming pacers like Ben Sears, Will O'Rourke, Jacob Duffy, Ben Lister, and Henry Shipley.
As Ian Smith remarked on the need to dig deep to replace Boult (via ICC):
"In New Zealand, when we’d think about replacing Trent Boult, we’ll have to dig very deep. And right now we can’t, we haven’t got a left-arm bowler of world-class ability in our ranks at the moment. There are kids coming through but it will be a long time, a long, long time just as it was with Richard Hadlee. A long time until we replace or come close to replacing what Trent Boult has done."
The Black Caps demolished Uganda by bowling them out for 40 and may do the same to Papua New Guinea on Monday. But that will not answer the uncomfortable questions that lie ahead.
