Kiwi campaign stutters after a promising start

They won their first four games but have lost the last three to land up in a precarious position

- Vivek Krishnan

For the first time in this World Cup – in their seventh game against South Africa in Pune on Wednesday -- a sense of total inadequacy may have pervaded the New Zealand camp. Their bowlers couldn’t counter the firepower of the South African top six on a docile deck while their own batters wilted under the pressure of an imposing target. Not a lot had gone wrong for the Kiwis before the 190-run hammering, but they suddenly find themselves in a situation where they may have to win their last two games to progress to the semi-finals.

Otherwise, an anxious wait for other results to go in their favour may ensue. How has it come to this for a team that had won its first four games and was eyeing the top spot along with India just ten days ago?

Their dip may come across as a rapid unravelling, but their current position – fourth in the points table with four wins and three losses – is perhaps a more accurate reflection of how they measure up in these conditions. After all, their first four victories had come against England, Netherlands, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. We didn’t know then that England would go on to have a wretched tournament while their wins in the next three games were entirely along expected lines.