New Zealand vs West Indies: DKODING Key Players, Pitch report and Team news
The ICC World Cup 2019 is up and running as the match number 29 is set to see West Indies and New Zealand going head-to-head at the Old Trafford in Manchester on Thursday.
New Zealand is still unbeaten in the tournament and has defeated South Africa in their first major clash in this WC on the other side West Indies was humiliated by Bangladesh by chasing the target on 321 within 46 overs.
Doubts over Russel’s return
“He gave his all,” skipper Holder when asked about Andre Russell
The fitness of Andre Russel will be a big headache for the Caribbean team, with still no official news whether he will play or not tomorrow. We can see Ashley Nurse taking his place, which will create a big dent in their squad.
How have the teams faired out?
New Zealand has shown a remarkable performance in this WC. They are still undefeated, and their one foot is already in the qualifiers. Although in the last game we saw Kiwis struggling in their first major clash, which showed the road ahead is not as smooth as they would have expected. Both the batting and bowling of New Zealand is looking strong and full of confidence, with no pressure of the points table they will go out eyeing for the top spot in the table.
West Indies started their campaign by strong-arming Pakistan, but after that, they were not able to capitalize the momentum and lost all of their remaining matches. Another defeat and they will be out of the WC. The reason for concern is their bowling unit. All the frontline bowlers are pacers with the same bowling style. The carelessness of their batsmen has also hurt them with only Hope batting responsibly in the middle overs.
Key Players to watch out for
New Zealand – Martin Guptill
Guptill was looking good against South Africa last time around but unfortunately slipped while going for a run and was out hit-wicket. Someone who likes the ball coming onto the bat, Guptill will fancy his chances against the West Indies pacers.
West Indies – Shimron Hetmeyr
With anvigorous26-ball 50 against Bangladesh last time around, Hetmyer showed the kind of talent he possesses. He already has four centuries and three half-centuries to his name and will be hoping to get another big one on what is expected to be a flat Old Trafford deck.
DKODING Analysis –
With a vulnerable bowling unit, West Indies will be the underdog tomorrow. Their batting has the firepower to chase any total in front of them, but considering the WC tally of New Zealand’s bowling unit, we can see them at the receiving end. So, to sum up, New Zealand will have the upper hand tomorrow with the way they have performed as a team.
To turn the table, West Indies has to play as a team not as 11 individuals.
