The Blackcaps, under the leadership of Kane Williamson, begin their 2017 ICC Champions Trophy campaign on Friday with a dual against Trans-Tasman rivals Australia at Edgbaston.
The team has done well in the last 2 major events, reaching the semifinal and final respectively and will now to look to go one step further in the eight-team event, that began on Thursday.
1.Good recent record in England
New Zealand has toured England quite a number of times and have put up a good fight on each of those occasions.
Last time around, the side lost a tightly-fought series 2-3, but in 2013 and 2008, the Blackcaps triumphed 2-1 in the ODIs.
Usually, the limited-overs leg of their tours are scheduled in the latter half of the summer and hence the pitches are more suited to the batsmen, as was the case when Martin Guptill smashed 189 at the Oval a few years back.
That perhaps suit the Blackcaps, resulting in the good showing.
2.Bowling attack suited for English conditions
For some time now, New Zealand has had a potent seam bowling attack in the form of Tim Southee, Trent Boult and others.
The duo has troubled some of the best batting line-ups in the world and will be key to New Zealand's success in the competition.
However, their success at the event will depend upon on the nature of the surfaces on offer. If the pitches offer assistance, then they could be handful, else they will need to come up with something special to tackle the big bats at the other end.
3.Chance to play freely
In any major event in the last decade and more, New Zealand have always gone in as the side who could pull off the big heist. Edition after edition, the Blackcaps are considered as the side, who can upset anyone on their day and are considered as the side who can go all the way.
But each time, they fall in the last frontier. Can they do it this time?
4.The batting trio of Guptill, Latham and Williamson
The Blackcaps will depend upon this trio to deliver for them in the competition. Along with Kohli, Root and Smith, Williamson completes the quadrant of the premier batsman in the game today and his contributions with the bat will go a long way in determining as to how New Zealand fare in the competition.
In Martin Guptill, New Zealand have a batsman, who can single-handedly take the game away from the opposition on his day.
The right-hander has proven credentials in white-ball cricket in England and will need to put that to use in the Champions Trophy.
In Latham, Guptill has a partner, who can be the ideal foil for him. Latham and Guptill will need to provide the side with good starts and lay the foundations for a big total.
5.Can they carry the McCullum legacy forward?
Before Brendon McCullum called it quits from international cricket in 2016, he had ensured that New Zealand played the aggressive brand of cricket, which was very appealing for everyone to see.
Now it is upto Williamson and co. to take that forward and ensure they get the results in their favour.
The Blackcaps possess a side that can lead world cricket in future, but for that to happen, they will need to develop certain skills like playing spin bowling effectively, developing quality all-rounders etc.
