The phrase that has long irked All New Zealand fans suggests Black Caps supporters may not know by the end of next week who will make up their starting lineup for the Twenty20 World Cup.
As a warm-up for the World Cup, which begins in Australia later this month, New Zealand will play Pakistan and Bangladesh in a tri-series in Christchurch beginning on Friday when the two visiting sides meet at Hagley Oval.
The 15 Black Caps players selected for the event are anticipated to be used by the tri-series hosts. However, selector Gavin Larsen stated on Monday that rotation will be a significant factor across four or five games, depending on outcomes.
New Zealand Wanting To Fine-tune Their Existing Game Plan
“Certainly the goal is to rotate the squad across the playing opportunities through that tri-series and to basically fine-tune what has been our existing game plan over the recent time,” Larsen said.
“There’s certainly nothing majorly different that we’re going to be focusing on – they’re very important preparation games for us.”
The player that stands to benefit the most from the series is probably the first player, Finn Allen.
The most recent T20 series, which the Black Caps played against the West Indies in the Caribbean in August, featured Martin Guptill and Devon Conway as their opening batting combination for all three games.
With 51 runs at 17, it wasn’t a very memorable series for Guptill, who hasn’t scored 50 runs in any of this year’s nine T20 Internationals.
Allen struggled against Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands earlier in year but showed off his explosive powers by slamming a century off only 56 balls against Scotland.
Fans of New Zealand will be hoping to see skipper Kane Williamson improve after he struggled after returning from injury.
In addition to three average performances in the most recent ODI series against Australia across the Tasman, Williamson scored 75 runs in three innings against the Windies.
Shakib Al Hasan, the captain of Bangladesh, and bowling coach Allan Donald’s arrival in New Zealand were both delayed, so they were unlikely to make it to the opening match on Friday.
In addition, New Zealand will play exhibition matches in Australia against South Africa and India before their Cup debut against the hosts at the SCG on October 22.
Supporters of the Black Caps will also be crossing their fingers that no one gets hurt as the World Cup’s prominent absence list lengthens.
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