ICC World Cup 2019 – Match 37: NZ vs AUS – New Zealand Predicted Playing XI

New Zealand’s unbeaten streak in the tournament came to a halt in the last game against Pakistan. However, there were several positives for the Blackcaps from this game and they’d be proud of their performance. Firstly, their middle order and all-rounders stepped up after the side lost quick wickets. Under some great pressure, they fared really well to help them get to a decent total.

Then, the bowlers put up a great fight and didn’t concede an easy win to Pakistan. Things boiled down right to the last over and it was good to watch them fight so hard. However, their semi-final berth is not sealed as yet and they need one more win. The Kiwis wouldn’t want to take things right into the last game and will want to finish the task at hand in their next match against Australia.

Here is the Predicted Playing XI for New Zealand

Openers (Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls)

New Zealand is likely to make a change to their opening combination for the upcoming encounter. Henry Nicholls is available for selection and has warmed the bench in the last few games. Colin Munro hasn’t lived up to the expectations for the Kiwis and hasn’t been able to provide the side with good starts on a consistent basis.

Thus, they might look to make a change and bring Henry Nicholls in who is usually a more reliable option and can play the long innings. Martin Guptill isn’t at his complete best at the moment but will hold onto his spot in the eleven. These two can complement each other well and Guptill can be the aggressor.

Middle Order (Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wk))

Kane Williamson has been the most consistent batsman for New Zealand. He looked to be in decent touch in the last match as well and scored 41 runs. However, he couldn’t get a huge score and bail his side out of trouble. Ross Taylor got out cheaply in the last match and seemed to have had troubles against the swinging ball.

The right-hander got out of balance while trying to shuffle across in an attempt to negate the swing. He will look to make amends to his technique for this game as there are some quality left-arm seamers in the Australian team. Tom Latham has been a huge concern for New Zealand. The wicket-keeper batsman has struggled throughout the tournament and needs to find his form back as soon as possible.

All Rounders (James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner)

James Neesham was spectacular in the last match. Just when his side seemed to be in deep territories of trouble, the all-rounder turned up with one of his best knocks. His unbeaten 97 in that game is his highest ODI score and he should gain a lot of confidence from that. It would be great if that reflects in his bowling as well.

Colin de Grandhomme was equally good and got his second half-century of the tournament in the last game. With these two players doing well, the top order batsmen will play with more freedom and confidence. Mitchell Santner got to bowl all his 10 overs in the previous game and was quite economical. However, he should look to get amongst the wickets.

Bowlers (Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult)

Matt Henry started off the tournament on a great note. However, in the last two or three games, he didn’t seem as effective. Thus, New Zealand will want to try out something different before the knockouts. There is every possibility that Ish Sodhi will get a game against Australia.

Lockie Ferguson and Trent Boult will be the two pacers for the team. While they couldn’t make a huge difference against Pakistan, they’ve usually been top notch. Both of them have provided the side with regular breakthroughs and must do well if the Kiwis are to win against Australia.