Opinion: New Zealand should play Tom Blundell in World Cup semifinal against India

New Zealand will start as firm underdogs when they take the field against India in the first semifinal of ICC World Cup 2019. The reason for this is their recent slump in form. New Zealand lost each of their final 3 matches in the group stages, against Pakistan, Australia, and England respectively.

One of the key reasons for New Zealand’s failure was the form of their openers. Martin Guptill managed scores of 8, 20 and 5 in the three matches while Colin Munro lost his place in the team after scoring just 12 runs against Pakistan. His replacement, Henry Nicholls, could aggregate only 8 runs in 2 games.

This string of poor performances has raised a question mark over New Zealand’s opening pair. In the high-stakes match-up against India, the Kiwis will need a strong start at the top. Hence, they should look to replace the under-performing Nicholls.

Guptill possesses the experience to turn the tables and regain his touch, but Nicholls and Munro should be overlooked for this game. Kane Williamson should instead opt for Tom Blundell, a player who performed well in the warm-up matches. Blundell scored a fighting century against West Indies, striking 8 fours and 5 sixes.

It is also pertinent to recall the time when Fakhar Zaman destroyed the Indian bowlers in the 2017 Champions Trophy final. New Zealand can take the risk of including Blundell in the line-up in the hope that he produces a similar innings to Fakhar. The team management can instruct him to play fearless cricket at the top of the order and provide New Zealand with a flying start.

New Zealand's opening pair has struggled all tournament and it would be a wise move by the Kiwis to include the wicket-keeper batsman Blundell in place of Nicholls.

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