An event of what ifs - New Zealand tournament review
Most runs - Glenn Phillips (201)
Most wickets - Mitchell Santner (9)
What went right
New Zealand stuck to a specific template with their batting and it worked for them - an attacking Finn Allen at the top, a dynamic Glenn Phillips following the stable duo of Kane Williamson and Devon Conway and fireworks if needed from Jimmy Neesham.
They excelled in boundary-hitting interspersed with good running between the wickets and it showed in some of their results in the tournament.
With the ball, Mitchell Santner was exceptional, holding his end up and also picking wickets and he, unsurprisingly, finished with the highest wicket tally for them (nine wickets) while going at an economy rate of 6.45 runs per over.
What went wrong
Their loss to Pakistan in the semi-final came down to the below-par total they put up and much of that was down to a slow-going powerplay on a wicket where run-scoring wasn't easy as the game progressed. Fielding also cost them in the big game where they were bettered by a sharp performance in the field from Pakistan.
Overall, New Zealand's threatening new ball duo of Trent Boult and Tim Southee couldn't quite get going in the powerplay where New Zealand only picked up seven wickets, going at an average of 29.0, which was better than only England among Super 12 teams.
What does the future look like?
It's notable that only two of New Zealand's playing Xi in the semi-final against Pakistan were aged under 30. Some of the senior pros might not be around for the next edition in 2024, but could still play the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup next year in India.
With two excellent spinners and quality in the bowling attack, New Zealand would want to see how they can utilise their batting resources better. They probably ended up with one anchor too many for this format and it could also be the case in India next year where tall totals can be expected on batting-friendly wickets.
As for T20s, Allen and Phillips, both aged under 30, combined with Conway make for a good base to build their next batting line-up upon and it might just be the difference between them and a title win two years from now.
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