The Black Caps and their families got a rare look behind the scenes at the home of cricket.
By Niall Anderson in London
Their top order has just been ravaged by left-arm seamers, and now the Black Caps have to prepare to face the best in the world.
Mitchell Starc looms menacingly as the Black Caps prepare to face Australia at Lord's, with the left-armed tearaway not only being the greatest current exponent of left-arm quick bowling, but arguably the greatest bowler – of any description – in Cricket World Cup history.
If that sounds hyperbolic, well, so do Starc's numbers. Of the eight bowlers to have taken 40 wickets in World Cups, Starc's average is by far the lowest, at an absurd 13.9. He strikes every 19 balls – the best of anyone with more than 25 wickets – and so far is leading the 2019 tournament with 19 wickets at an average of 18.26, including ripping through the West Indies (5-46), Sri Lanka (4-55) and England (4-43).
To be fair, it's not just in World Cups where Starc leads the way, with the 29-year-old's ODI bowling average of 21.1 the lowest of any player to have taken 160 wickets.
Frankly, he's the best bowler the Black Caps will have to face at the Cup, and Australia know what a powerful weapon they have at their disposal.
"In this format, he's unbelievable," said Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey.
"He's got a few overs up front with the new ball when it's swinging, and then through the middle and the death, he's showing his class in a big tournament – I can't speak highly enough of Starcy, hopefully he keeps this form going as well. I'm sure he will."
Starc has some fond memories playing against New Zealand, with his record noting 18 wickets at 19.1 in his eight meetings with the Black Caps. Those match-ups include a career-best 6-28 as he famously bowled Australia to the brink of victory in their group stage World Cup clash at Eden Park in 2015, only for Kane Williamson to hit a match-winning six to claim a one-wicket win. Starc then produced an even more famous moment in the final, bowling Brendon McCullum in the opening over on his way to figures of 2-20.
Starc swatted away questions about Australia holding a mental edge from that 2015 final, and is complimentary of how New Zealand have played thus far.
"There's similar sort of teams I guess [to 2015] – their team doesn't have too many differences. [But] I don't think they're a sort of team who carry too much [mental scarring]. They've got a strong side batting and bowling, Kane Williamson is their linchpin in the middle there and they've got bowlers who swing the ball.
"They've gone under the radar, they're building nicely – we know how good a side they are, especially in tournament play. To have them at Lord's will be a big matchup for us. We always speak about building up towards our best cricket at the back end – hopefully we're getting there, we keep improving every game which is fantastic."
The Black Caps can't quite make the same claim after their top order were reduced to 46-4 by Pakistan's left-arm seamers Mohammad Amir and Shaheen Afridi in their six-wicket defeat yesterday.
And now, not only does Starc loom, but also fellow Aussie lefty Jason Behrendorff, who claimed 5-44 against England, and left Black Caps coach Gary Stead expecting a left-armed attack at Lord's.
"We probably expect - after Behrendorff's success at Lord's - that he's likely to play again," said Stead.
"We certainly won't take that for granted but we'll plan to have two left-armers play against us.
"It's good we've had that exposure to left-armers in the last game."
The Alternative Commentary Collective are podcasting their way through the World Cup. Known for their unconventional sports analysis and off-kilter banter, the ACC have come to ask the tough questions. Here's the latest episode of 'The Agenda':
