New Zealand, a strong team in all cricket formats, is ready to make a big impact again. They are getting ready for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the USA as one of the top teams.
In the past three years, New Zealand has shown their skill in ICC’s short-format tournaments. They reached the semifinals in the 2022 T20 World Cup and the 2023 ODI World Cup, and they were finalists in the 2021 T20 World Cup. But they haven’t won a major trophy recently.
Here are five key players from New Zealand to keep an eye on.
1. Kane Williamson
Captain Kane Williamson remains New Zealand’s top batsman heading into the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA. He’s played 250 T20 matches, 89 for New Zealand. In international matches, he averages 34 with 18 half-centuries.
As captain, Williamson led New Zealand to the 2021 T20 World Cup final in UAE, where they lost to Australia. The next year, in Australia, they finished in the top four, losing to Pakistan.
With two semifinal appearances (2016 and 2022) and one final (2021) as captain in three T20 World Cups, Williamson hopes to lead New Zealand to their first World Cup win in 2024. At 34, this might be his last chance as captain.
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2. Trent Boult
In IPL 2024, Trent Boult took 16 wickets for the Rajasthan Royals, mostly getting batsmen out early in the game. He also has a great record in T20 internationals for New Zealand, with 74 wickets in 57 matches, averaging 23.98 runs per wicket and keeping his runs conceded per over to less than eight.
During the 2021 tournament, Boult played a crucial role in New Zealand reaching the final, finishing as one of the top five bowlers overall and the highest wicket-taker among fast bowlers. He’s known for stepping up in tough situations when captain Kane Williamson needs him to bowl challenging overs.
Boult’s calm attitude and skill at bowling accurate yorkers under pressure will be valuable for New Zealand during their matches in the West Indies and the USA.
3. Daryl Mitchell
New Zealand cricketer Daryl Mitchell prepared for the 2024 T20 World Cup by scoring 318 runs for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2024. He did this with a very high strike rate. Mitchell, who is 33 years old, usually bats in the middle of New Zealand’s lineup and is known for accelerating in the final overs.
Mitchell played an important role in New Zealand’s second-place finish in the 2021 T20 World Cup, scoring 208 runs with an average of almost 35. He also showed his ability to handle pressure on big occasions by performing well against Team India in the semifinals of the 2023 ODI World Cup.
With over 200 matches under his belt, Mitchell’s experience will be valuable for New Zealand as they aim to perform well in the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies.
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4. Tim Southee
Tim Southee, who has taken more wickets than anyone else in T20I cricket with 157, will likely start bowling alongside Trent Boult for New Zealand at the upcoming World Cup. Southee has played in many matches in the West Indies and even in the USA during his international career, which makes him very valuable for New Zealand’s fast bowling in the big T20 tournament.
In all T20 matches, Southee has taken 312 wickets in 256 games, which is really impressive. He’s known for bowling toe-crushing yorkers, tricky slower balls, and a sharp bouncer that can trick even the best batsmen.
Besides his bowling skills, Southee is also good at batting, especially in the final overs of a match. He scores at more than 140 runs per 100 balls and has scored two half-centuries in his career.
5. Rachin Ravindra
Rachin Ravindra from New Zealand became a star after scoring a lot of runs in the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. He’s 24 and plays for Wellington. Now, he’s playing for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2024 and has scored 222 runs in 10 games at a fast pace.
Since his T20I debut in September 2021, Ravindra has played 20 matches for New Zealand. He hasn’t done as well in T20Is as he has in ODIs, but he wants to prove himself in the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA.
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