Dejected, forlorn faces have become a norm in the New Zealand dressing room. They have aced the art of facing adversity and the all-absorbing cameras by wearing the disappointed look. An everlasting image from the World Cup 2019 memoirs would be that of Kane Williamson with his hands on his beard, pondering as he looked into the distance while his teammates behind him wore similar longfaced expressions.
If there’s a tragic movie to be made on cricket right now, Kane Williamson would almost certainly be the hero. The entire New Zealand squad could be cast in support roles. They really know what it is like to be at the receiving end of tragedies.
Credits: AFP
Thrice in six months New Zealand have found themselves staring into the abyss at the last possible moment in a cricket game. Once it was the unforgettable World Cup final. Next, it was a T20I series decider in New Zealand against England. The third time it was about to happen, “surely not again” seemed to be a trending phrase. But it happened. Again.
Cricketers are superstitions beings. After a five-wicket haul in the first innings of the fourth Test in South Africa, Mark Wood kept ordering room service from Joe Root’s hotel room because he had done that the day before he took the five-for. This probably comes in the last 100 in the list of superstitions cricketers have. We have all heard of such stories. As such, it is perhaps easy to put down New Zealand’s fate to ill luck.
Surely, the ball ricocheting off Ben Stokes’ bat for a boundary and the Super Over ending in a tie for a least known boundary law to peek from its corner reeks of bad luck. Few, though, remember that Trent Boult dropped Ben Stokes in the deep and stepped over to hand a six to England before all this unfolded. Few remember that Lockie Ferguson had been the bowler of the night, yet New Zealand went to a confidence-shattered Trent Boult for the Super Over.
“It is what it is. It’s good fun, isnt’ it? It’s a full house at midnight or whatever time it is. That’s pretty cool. It’s good entertainment. I’m probably not the best person to ask because we came second in the Super Over tonight like a few other times. So yeah, not ideal. But I guess if people enjoyed that to decide the match, then that’s fun. Super Overs certainly haven’t been our friend, but I think if we’re being brutally honest we would’ve liked to have perhaps got across the line before requiring a win in the Super Over,” Kane Williamson said in the aftermath of their third Super Over loss against India. He couldn’t have been more right.
Against England in November, New Zealand made a telling error as England tied the game from nowhere and stole the Super Over from under their noses. Tim Southee, whose credentials have gone for a toss in recent times, and whose T20 bowling is anything but artful, was tasked with containing the England batsmen in the Super Over and he leaked 17 runs.
To think that Boom conceded 63 runs, the Kiwis required 3 runs in 5 balls with 6 wickets in hand, and India ended up winners.
Augurs well for the twin T20 World Cups, this year and next.— if Shrikant,who can? (@HomerOpines) January 29, 2020
At Hamilton on Wednesday, New Zealand repeated the same error as Southee was once again found woefully short of T20 death bowling requirements as he went length against Rohit Sharma to be treated to two sixes. Earlier before the Super Over, New Zealand needed two from four balls and they couldn’t get across the line which should worry them even more.
Bad luck has seemingly chased the Kiwis in recent times, but as their skipper pointed out, planning and execution haven’t really been top-notch from the Black Caps. Let’s not make it all about luck.