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It was good versus evil. And, of course, evil prevailed. It was easy to paint the narrative of the 2015 World Cup final between the contrasting Trans-Tasman hosts.
Australia, well before the ball-tampering debacle, were seen as the sneering loudmouths – harsher critics would label them louts - who had absolutely owned the World Cup since breaking through in 1987. Conversely, the humble New Zealand were the darlings of the tournament.
More than anyone, the tournament is best remembered for affable captain Brendon McCullum. The brutish batsman dazzled with his trademark pyrotechnics and his aggressive instincts seemed to always make the Black Caps one step ahead in the field. His humility made him a statesman for the sport.
It all amounted to naught in the decider played in front of a record cricket crowd of 93,013 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Australia, who overloaded on the trash talking – or sledging, as per the cricket parlance – thrashed New Zealand in a one-sided finale to claim their fourth World Cup out of the past five.
Even though they captured the hearts of fans worldwide, New Zealand frustratingly couldn’t go all the way. It was the closest they have been to touching silverware after five semi-finals finishes.
Can this be the year the Kiwis finally breakthrough at the World Cup?
Despite those rich memories from four years ago, New Zealand are not fancied in the upcoming tournament. Most pundits have them a notch below favorites England and India - and even Australia and South Africa. The No.4 ODI team in the world are used to being disrespected and will use that as fuel for another unexpected push to the title.
They undeniably will miss McCullum but his successor Kane Williamson is a worthy replacement as New Zealand’s talisman. The World Cup looms as pivotal for his legacy. He is part of the ‘Big Four’ batsmen alongside Virat Kohli, Steve Smith and Joe Root but Williamson – playing for a much smaller nation, one that is sadly often neglected – feels somewhat overshadowed by those star players who headline cricket’s most powerful countries.
If Williamson stars at the World Cup – and especially if he leads New Zealand to glory – then his legacy lifts significantly. He could do what none of those legendary figures have done and lead his country to a World Cup triumph.
The 28-year-old is more understated than McCullum, but a composed Williamson ensures the team is never rattled – an invaluable characteristic during the suffocating pressure of knockout matches.
There is always the fear that certain teams – South Africa and Pakistan spring to mind – might implode but New Zealand won’t. They certainly won’t get down on themselves. The opposition will have to be at their best.
Much of that self-confidence has to do with New Zealand’s continuity. This is a veteran team with most of the core from 2015 still around. The top order is comprised of seasoned batsmen – Martin Guptill, Henry Nicolls, Ross Taylor, Colin Munro and Williamson.
Williamson, Taylor – who is playing in his fourth World Cup - and Guptill have collectively amassed 526 ODI appearances between them.
The dynamic Guptill, without McCullum, will be relied upon to get the innings rolling. If he starts off hot, New Zealand are tough to beat with players such as Taylor and Williamson able to bat around him. But if Guptill fails, the Kiwis can often get caught in quicksand and the innings tails off.
In a World Cup where huge scores are expected, New Zealand need Guptill - who stunningly scored 237 not out four years ago against the West Indies – to be at his destructive best.
As they always seem to boast, New Zealand have a slew of highly-rated all-rounders. Colin de Grandhomme, Jimmy Neesham and Mitchell Santner loom as pivotal players for them. Santner, in particular, is a wily left-arm orthodox spinner who also doubles as a handy lower-order batsman.
As it increasingly does in limited-overs cricket, spin will play a major role at the World Cup and Santner will have to keep his cool under an expected rampage against batsmen looking to attack the small boundaries.
Perhaps Santner’s greatest attribute is his calmness and he won’t get flustered even amid the cauldron.
For New Zealand to go deep in the tournament, their vaunted pace attack will need to perform. Trent Boult and Tim Southee dazzled four years ago on home soil, and will hope to replicate that success in UK conditions that should suit their renowned seam movement.
They have become such a high quality pairing over the years in an ideal left/right-arm combination.
Southee has somewhat struggled in white ball cricket recently ensuring much pressure is on Boult. New Zealand will be desperate for the tandem to simultaneously fire – like they so seamlessly meshed four years ago – but you can at least count on Boult to be up to scratch when it matters most.
Boult doesn’t need favorable conditions to be dangerous but a hint of movement often makes him unplayable –as he memorably displayed as equal-highest wicket taker in 2015.
Much rests on their shoulders with the other quicks highly promising but somewhat unproven on the big stage.
New Zealand might not be one of the favorites but discount them at your peril. After all, they have a knack for a giant killing run on the grandest stage in cricket.
