Black Caps in the CWC 2015 - A gritty, aggressive Campaign

New Zealand reached the finals for the first time

The Black Caps started as one of the favourites in the World Cup primarily due to the success they attained recently leading up to the tournament and the fact that the World Cup was played in their backyard. New Zealand always start as a very good side, but have never gone on to reach the pinnacle of success on the highest level.

This time, it was however very different…..

It’s said that the Leader is as good as its team. A large part of the success of the New Zealand team can very well be attributed to their Captain Brendon McCullum, who led the side with utmost aggression and determination to put up a wonderful show in front of their hugely supportive home crowd. He batted fearlessly on the top of the order, gave the side a great start in most of the games and also led the team with a lot of grit and passion. Martin Guptill started the World Cup campaign on a slow note, but his awe-striking innings against the Windies overshadowed the hugely-anticipated Gayle Storm and silenced his critics and his selection in the team.

A total team effort

The speciality about the team was the fact that each match saw some or the other individual rise up to the occasion and take up responsibility to take the side through. There was brotherhood among the squad members, they were indeed a family. They felt the need to perform well, if not for themselves, for the New Zealand crowd, which had supported the team throughout the campaign and brought the best out of them.

A huge factor for their fairy-tale story was the undisputed support of their people, they backed their team. McCullum never shied away from the fact too that it was them that brought huge passion in them and bettered their performance on the field.

The team make-up

A terrific and aggressive opening partnership of Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill, the calming influence of Kane Williamson (Specially the match-winning six against Australia), the experience of Ross Taylor and Grant Elliot in the middle order, the power of Corey Anderson and Luke Ronchi, the magical presence of the wizard Daniel Vettori and a fast, intimidating pace attack was the perfect balance struck among the Kiwis throughout the tournament.

The Kiwis always played aggressive breed of cricket throughout the World Cup. They always had the belief to win the cup for their nation. The open letter by McCullum to the fans showed the passion he had and also the importance of the home crowd in lifting the spirits on the field.

Their pacers gave them an exciting start every match with the ball in their hand, the English being their worst victim. They bowled with lot of heart and some fierce pace and swing. The conditions favoured them and they made the best out of them.

A whole new brand of Cricket

The Black Caps displayed a whole new version of fearless cricket, led explicitly by their captain. They enjoyed out there in the field. The crowd support, the desire to win in for them and for the legend Vettori, kept their quest going. The Semi-final was one of the matches to remember across the World Cup, with Grant Elliot being the hero for the team. The final was however a match to forget for them. Their first outing outside their mainland, the Kiwis were never in the game at any moment. Right from the first over, they were chasing the match to stay in it, but the Aussies were way too powerful on the night and won the Cup for their outgoing Captain, Michael ‘Pup’ Clarke. The amazing journey of the team was a great farewell to Daniel Vettori, who decided to hang his boots across all formats of the game.

The Aussies might have won the World Cup for the record 5th time; but this Kiwi team won the hearts of the cricketing fans.

The World Cup campaign gave them a new recognition across Global cricket and a higher regard for cricket to this Rugby-crazy nation.

The tagline: Greatness is Contagious... The Kiwis just lived up to it.

Way to go Black Caps.

Cheers!!!!