KEY POINTS:
New Zealand's victory against England was a massive step in the right direction towards a successful World Cup campaign.
Forget about the two points earned because, while they are nice, the closeness of the teams that will compete in the Super Eights will ensure that the odd game could be dropped without too much damage - although no team should think that casually.
The main positive from this game was a key man performed and the balance of the team, a balance that hasn't been overly used, worked.
At 19 for 3, massive strides looked more like nervous and tentative baby steps, Craig McMillan's approach aside.
However, the partnership between Scott Styris and Jacob Oram was worth more than the unbeaten 138 runs they put on.
Styris would have been feeling the pressure for his place leading in to this game knowing that, should New Zealand opt for the extra bowler and play the two spinners, one of himself, Peter Fulton or McMillan would be left out. Fulton was the unlucky one and perhaps unlucky is an understatement. It was a surprise to many but, in retrospect, a great decision.
Styris' fighting qualities and his proven ability to pace a run chase is an asset any team would love but, had he missed out, he might not have had another chance. He took it and I feel more confidence in a team that includes Styris at No 4.
Styris absorbed the pressure of a top-order collapse and turned it back on England, which would have given him confidence. But hours before he did something else that this Black Caps team badly needed - he bowled a wonderful spell of medium pace bowling and did it when the momentum was slowly being wrestled away from his side.
Paul Collingwood and Kevin Pietersen had worked England into a situation where a score of 250 was possible, which would have been a challenging total.
The pair nullified the threat of Jeetan Patel and Daniel Vettori and forced Stephen Fleming into making an undesired bowling change.
That change was Styris. He broke the partnership, opened the door and the Black Caps walked through it. It was the stage in the match that Fleming later identified as the key turning point.
This was crucial because not only had Styris' batting been a little out of sorts, but so, too, had his bowling.
In the slow conditions his bowling is more than handy. It allows Fleming to manipulate his attack and provide cover for that inevitable one bowler who is having a tough day. Styris' last couple of spells have been right on the money.
It was a compressive victory but one which Fleming described as nervy. That's understandable because it was their first game and most important match of pool play.
The Black Caps can now settle into the tournament confident of the powers of two spinners, a balance that works, a class act on the sideline (Fulton) and a key man back in form.
