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GROS ISLET, St Lucia - It may not be a national holiday back home but the Black Caps still had reason to toast St Patrick's Day, particularly after Ireland's cricketers succeeded in eliminating potential World Cup nemesis Pakistan.
The impact of the 1992 champion's three-wicket loss in Jamaica reverberated throughout the West Indies -- and was keenly felt at New Zealand's East Caribbean base.
While neutrals marvelled at Ireland's stunning upset -- completed soon after Bangladesh jeopardised India's chances of progressing to the Super Eight stage with a five-wicket triumph -- the Black Caps also greeted the result enthusiastically given they fully expected to play Pakistan in Guyana on April 9.
They are now almost certain to play the Irish at Providence Stadium, though Zimbabwe can still make it if they beat Pakistan and/or the West Indies -- an unlikely scenario but not outside the realms of possibility given today's shock results.
Aware Ireland were on the brink of completing one of World Cup's history's biggest boil overs, the Black Caps urgently caught the death throes of the Pakistani campaign after a team strategy meeting broke up.
"They quickly wanted vantage points," Black Caps manager Lindsay Crocker said.
"When the Irish innings started it looked like it was possible."
The Black Caps could be forgiven for not being totally surprised at today's results considering they lost their first warm-up game to Bangladesh by two wickets in Barbados on March 6.
However, today's double whammy did serve as a timely reminder that the so-called easybeats do not represent a guaranteed two-point gain.
New Zealand play group C's other unbeaten team Kenya on Tuesday (Wednesday NZT) -- a match they must win to be assured of justifying their top seeding in the group and world ranking of No 3.
"It shows the danger in counting your chickens, everyone looking at the groups assumes the two big teams will go through," Crocker said of Pakistan's exit.
"You just can't count your chickens."
He insisted New Zealand would be taking nothing for granted after taking a significant stride to the second stage after yesterday's six-wicket defeat of England.
"We didn't need a reminder, we've done a lot of preparation to guard against complacency," he said.
"Kenya will be a dangerous game for us, we know we have to beat them to go through. We know if we mess up we could be going home."
Crocker said the Irish victory also had to be put in perspective -- not just New Zealand will be relishing the prospect of taking on the plucky part timers, or the embattled Zimbabweans.
"It's still a game we have to win -- and it's the same for everyone else. They'll all be expecting to get two points from that game so you can't afford to slip up."
Pakistan's imminent return home did have one positive spin-off though -- where previously the eight major nations were expected to make the second stage as a formality now realistically only seven teams can claim the ultimate prize at Barbados on April 28.
Should Sri Lanka, who already have two points banked, beat -- and eliminate -- India on March 23 the field is essentially whittled down to six.
"That game has a lot of interest for us," Crocker said.
"It'll be huge if they take them out."
- NZPA
