Twenty20 Cricket World Cup final: Black Caps v Australia. Video / Sky Sport
The Black Caps used 12 players during their Twenty20 World Cup campaign, which ended in the final with an eight-wicket defeat to Australia. Niall Anderson rates how each player fared in the UAE.
Martin Guptill - 6
Stats: 208 runs at 29.7, strike rate 121
Martin Guptill had a brilliant - and exhausting - innings against Scotland. Photo / Photosport
Lost 4.4kgs in his epic93 off 56 balls against Scotland, but he'd surely trade that in for a performance of more substance in the big games, with a third-ball dismissal against England followed by a plodding 28 off 35 in the final against Australia which included 14 dot balls. An excellent catch to dismiss Rohit Sharma was the highlight of a typically error-free tournament in the field.
Daryl Mitchell was a breakout player at the top of the order. Photo / Photosport
The breakout star of the Black Caps' T20 team, Mitchell's unbeaten 72 in the semifinal against England will be an innings he long savours, but the surprise opener also reached double figures in every game, including top-scoring against Pakistan and India, while maintaining a good strike rate. While the Black Caps were rarely given a stellar platform by the opening pair, there were plenty of solid-to-good opening stands, largely because of Mitchell.
Kane Williamson - 8
Stats: 216 runs at 43.2, strike rate 115
Kane Williamson was at his world-class best in the final against Australia. Photo / Photosport
Williamson came into the final with a strike rate below 100 – a poor return stemming from a few sluggish knocks, combined with two controlled chases where fast scoring wasn't required. He then produced an innings that every New Zealand fan knew he was capable of in the final, smashing 85 off 48 balls to give his side a chance. That, plus his typically excellent fielding and exemplary use of bowlers and matchups as captain - until the final, at least – adds significantly to his rating.
Devon Conway broke his hand before the final. Photo / Getty
Struggled early on but gradually improved as the tournament continued, also taking on wicketkeeping duties after the opening game. He and Williamson ensured there'd be no danger of an upset against Afghanistan, before his 46 off 38 against England allowed Mitchell and Jimmy Neesham to be the heroes at the end of the game. He could have been a hero in the final, but punched his bat in anger after his semifinal dismissal, and broke his hand. Marks off for being a drongo.
Glenn Phillips - 6
Stats: 105 runs at 26.3, strike rate 112, one over for 11 runs
Glenn Phillips would have preferred to have hit more boundaries. Photo / Photosport
Phillips never quite managed to unleash his powerful potential, but was still involved in two important partnerships against Scotland and Namibia. He failed to cash in against England, and also bowled one ill-advised over, while he was electric in the field with his speed and full-hearted dives. Perhaps stay away from barreling into advertising hoardings next time though, Glenn. His 18 off 17 balls in the final probably summed up his tournament rather well – not terrible, but not as good as he'd have hoped.
Tim Seifert - 5
Stats: 16 runs at 16, strike rate 114
Tim Seifert didn't have much to do in his two games. Photo / Photosport
Dropped after the first game against Pakistan when the Black Caps reshuffled their lineup to include Adam Milne, Seifert then had a chance to be an unlikely hero when recalled for the final after Conway's moment of madness. His unbeaten eight off six balls was fine, and he barely had a chance behind the stumps, such was the plundering that came via the middle of David Warner and Mitchell Marsh's bats. Three games against India should provide him with more opportunities.
Jimmy Neesham - 7
Stats: 86 runs at 43, strike rate 176, three wickets at 27, economy rate 7.4
Jimmy Neesham destroyed England's World Cup hopes. Photo / Getty
Brutally powerful against England in a semifinal display that left an impressed opposing captain Eoin Morgan unable to do anything but pay tribute, Neesham's 11-ball 27 was the highlight of his tournament. Having helped get his team into the final though, Neesham only had seven balls to do damage against Australia, possibly a poor use of by far New Zealand's most destructive batsman. A reliable campaign with the ball was a helpful assistance, but unlike 2019, there were no "golden arm" moments.
Mitchell Santner - 6
Stats: Two wickets at 74.5, economy rate 6.8, nine runs, strike rate 100
Mitchell Santner was economical, but only had two wickets to celebrate. Photo / Getty
Santner regularly slammed the brakes on opposition batsmen, with his return against India (4-0-15-0) most impressive. But after taking 10 wickets at the 2016 T20 World Cup, Santner didn't find the conditions as profitable to attack in the UAE, with just two scalps. He wasn't asked to do much with the bat, with his most valuable contribution a single to get good friend Mitchell on strike to hit the winning runs against England.
Adam Milne - 6
Stats: Three wickets at 56.3, economy rate 7
Adam Milne had a few appeals, but only three wickets. Photo / Photosport
A late injury replacement for Lockie Ferguson, Milne passed one role with flying colours, but struggled with another task. He battled well to keep his economy rate under control – while he took some tap in the odd over or two, that's the life of a rapid bowler in T20, and he always recovered well, never giving up more than 36 runs in a game in a consistent return. However, when he wasn't taking the pace off the ball, he'd have been hoping to have returned more than three wickets.
Tim Southee - 8
Stats: Eight wickets at 22.7, economy rate 6.5
Tim Southee had the ball going where he wanted, right until the final. Photo / Photosport
Brilliant until the final game, you can easily identify Southee's off day by a scan of his figures during the tournament – 1-25, 1-26, 1-24, 2-15, 2-24, 1-24 and 0-43. The dew played a factor in his struggles against Australia, but shouldn't be the defining memory of one his best white-ball tournaments wearing the fern.
Ish Sodhi - 7
Stats: Nine wickets at 21.5, economy rate 8.1, two runs, strike rate 100
Ish Sodhi couldn't come up trumps in the knockout rounds. Photo / Photosport
Another player who faded as the tournament went on, Sodhi's World Cup went from highs - 2-17 against India - to lows in the final two games, with returns of 1-32 against England, and a terrible 0-40 from three overs against Australia. Some of that is what you sign up for as legspinner, but you only have to look to see Sodhi's successful counterpart, Adam Zampa, to understand Sodhi still needs improvements to be the best.
Trent Boult - 9
Stats: 13 wickets at 13.3, economy rate 6.3
Trent Boult was the Black Caps' standout player. Photo / Photosport
New Zealand's star of the tournament, Boult's campaign can be summed up by what happened in the final. Boult returned figures of 4-0-18-2. The rest of the New Zealand bowlers contributed figures of 14.5-0-151-0. Boult took wickets in all bar one game – England his only blemish – and his economy was terrific, making one wonder how he'd only played 34 T20 internationals before the tournament began. Sign him up for seven more matches in 2022.
