Cricket World Cup 2023: New Zealand’s road to the semi-finals
New Zealand made it to the World Cup semi-finals after winning only 5 games despite winning their first 4 matches.
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The Kiwis were the last team to book a spot in the semi-finals (Image via ESPN)
The New Zealand team were the last team to book a spot in the semi-finals, finishing 4th with 10 points. They had to compete with Pakistan and Afghanistan for a spot and came out the best out of the 3. They will now face India on 15th November in the Wankhede Stadium in an attempt to reach their 3rd final in a row.
The Kiwis started their tournament strong, beating Defending Champions England, Netherlands, Bangladesh and Afghanistan in their first four games. Unfortunately, their rough patch began as they lost 4 matches on the trot.
From going to probable table toppers in the first half of the tournament, New Zealand had to struggle to get in the top 4. They lost to India, Australia, South Africa and Pakistan (by DLS), endangering their World Cup victory chances.
Thankfully their high Net Run Rate provided a safety net, as they were still in the top 4 despite all their losses. After beating Sri Lanka in their last match, they secured a spot to the semi-final, where they face table toppers, India. Youngster Rachin Ravindra is the highest run score with 565 runs while their highest wicket taker has been Mitchell Santner, with 16 wickets.
The Kiwis also went through an injury crisis mid-tournament, starting with their captain Kane Williamson breaking his thumb. Lockie Ferguson had an issue with his Achilles heel and Matt Henry got ruled out due to a hamstring problem. Despite these issues they’ve made it to the semi-final.
New Zealand’s road to the semi-finals
New Zealand have had a tough campaign. They won their first 4 games, but then lost 4 games consecutively. Although they have qualified for the semi-finals, they have not been in form as injuries affected them as well.
| Sr. no | Opponent | Date | Venue | Result |
| 1 | England | October 5 | Ahmedabad | Win |
| 2 | Netherlands | October 9 | Hyderabad | Win |
| 3 | Bangladesh | October 13 | Chennai | Win |
| 4 | Afghanistan | October 18 | Chennai | Win |
| 5 | India | October 22 | Dharamshala | Loss |
| 6 | Australia | October 28 | Dharamshala | Loss |
| 7 | South Africa | November 1 | Pune | Loss |
| 8 | Pakistan | November 4 | Bangalore | Loss |
| 9 | Sri Lanka | November 9 | Mumbai | Win |
They will now face India, who have gone unbeaten in the entire tournament. Although the Kiwis aren’t in form, they have a good record against the hosts.
In case you missed:
- Cricket World Cup 2023: India’s road to the semi-finals
- Cricket World Cup 2023: Rohit Sharma explains why he decided to bowl 4 part-time bowlers against Netherlands
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Dhruv Kulkarni
(1120 Articles Published)