KEY POINTS:
Stephen Fleming is playing down the importance of the next 10 days, saying New Zealand are well prepared for the run-in to the World Cup semifinals, and that the only adjustment needed involves decision-making.
New Zealand, who were playing Sri Lanka this morning in the first game of
a heavyweight triple-header, require only one win to be assured of a final-four finish but need to earn that victory at the expense of one of the three tournament favourites.
After the Sri Lanka showdown, they play the erratic but talented South Africans on Sunday and then have the best part of a week to prepare for their last Super Eights contest, against Australia.
The second- and third-ranked sides will then head to Jamaica for the first semifinal, and the first and fourth-placed teams will travel to St Lucia for their showdown.
Fleming said he didn't agree that his side would have to lift their game dramatically for the remaining fixtures because they'd prepared well and played well throughout the tournament, and now only had to cope with the extra pressure to maintain momentum.
"We've done everything that's been asked of us so far and, in some ways, the pressure and anxieties we've had to cope with have been just as high," he said.
"We've created some good winning momentum, but what will increase now is the pressure, and the performance from the opposition. I don't think we have to do anything more to match it. We've just got to be smarter.
"What we've faced so far we've dealt with - England and the West Indies; the remaining challenges will just be the same, although the quality of opposition will increase."
Most of the talk during the early stages of the tournament has revolved around Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and New Zealand qualifying for the semifinals - and that perception has only strengthened now that the West Indies have effectively been eliminated.
The only side capable of posing a serious challenge to the four front-runners are England, who need to win their last two second-round games, against South Africa and the West Indies, to have any hope.
Fleming said there was a chance the semifinal positions wouldn't be known for sure until the final Super Eights match between England and the West Indies on Sunday week.
"People have been talking about the top four being Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and New Zealand - but I think England might still have something to say about that," he said.
"The results over the past couple of days has put everything on hold.
"The cricket over the next week will determine a lot."
His comments were echoed by coach John Bracewell, who rejected criticism of both the tournament format and organisation, while tipping the semifinal race to go right down to the wire.
Bracewell said the two early upsets caused by Bangladesh and Ireland, followed by Bangladesh's shock win over South Africa at Guyana showed how exciting the tournament was, and how difficult it was to forecast.
"The semifinals aren't going to be decided until the latter stages of the second round and I think that points to a well-designed tournament."
He said the players hadn't been overjoyed by some of the long breaks between games because they were so focused on the tournament and their own performance, but that he'd enjoyed every moment and was hoping there'd be many more.
"One of the things guys need to learn is how to relax," he said. "They find it quite difficult, they don't know what to do when they've got six days between games - they don't welcome it at all.
"That's because they're conditioned to play and they're preoccupied with the tournament.
"But I have enjoyed the tournament, I've enjoyed the place and I've enjoyed the structure of it."
Meanwhile, all-rounder Jacob Oram said yesterday it was time for New Zealand to embrace the new-found favouritism that surrounded their campaign, saying it was time the team accepted their billing and played like favourites.
Oram said for as long as he could remember New Zealand had preferred to claim underdog status, and had often floundered when they were tipped to do well.
"We haven't performed that well in the past as favourites, we usually like to be underdogs," he said.
"But if there's one thing were trying to address these days it's our own perception of ourselves.
"If you continue to look at yourself as the underdogs, you're likely to down-play your capabilities.
"I'm not suggesting we're tournament favourites - I'm simply saying that we're playing well enough at the moment and can see ourselves pushing for a finals berth."