WORLD CUP PLANS

Bowling out opponents, Stead's mantra for the World Cup

by Cricbuzz Staff • Last updated on

'The best chance with the ball is certainly if we can bowl teams out and be aggressive in that' - Gary Stead © Getty

Gary Stead, the New Zealand head coach, said that his side will focus on finding ways to bowl out opposition teams rather than restricting them in the upcoming World Cup. New Zealand announced their 15-member squad for the tournament on Wednesday (April 3).

In 2015, the Brendon McCullum-led side had reached the final of the World Cup based on a similar strategy. The point can be capsulised by the fact that New Zealand had taken all 10 wickets in six of the nine games they played in that tournament. "You'll have nine [other] teams who will all have slightly different ways of playing, the word is it will be a high-scoring World Cup as well, but the best chance with the ball is certainly if we can bowl teams out and be aggressive in that. Think that will be a critical factor," Stead said.

With both Ish Sodhi and Todd Astle in contention for the legspinner's slot, New Zealand's selectors had a tough decision to make. Eventually, they picked Sodhi ahead of Astle. With 30 ODIs (in which he took 39 wickets) to his name, Sodhi has more experience than Astle. According to reports, Kane Williamson, the captain, also pushed for Sodhi's selection. "People have been on the money around the legspinner spot and who we go with there. We are fortunate we have two real quality legspinners and it made that decision tough," he observed.

Meanwhile, Tom Blundell, who is yet to play for the national side in the 50-over format, got the nod ahead of Tim Seifert as the second 'keeper-batsman in the side. Seifert, who plays for Northern Districts, is known for his aggressive style of play. He gave a glimpse of his pyrotechnics with a 43-ball 84 against India in the Wellington T20I.

Stead said that Blundell's superior wicketkeeping skills played a part in his selection. "In the end we've gone with Tom Blundell, we believe his keeping ability is superior and tie that in with his ability with the bat we think that would be a nice fit if Tom Latham was injured."

In 2015, New Zealand fell at the final hurdle, losing to Australia by seven wickets. The experienced Ross Taylor, who was a member of the side that slid to a morale-sapping defeat in the final, noted that the loss would serve as a motivation to take one step further and reach the pinnacle of success.

"I think the last World Cup will play a big part in terms of dealing with those big games. We were pipped in the last game which was disappointing but think the players will use that as motivation - a lot of those guys who played in the final are in this side and hopefully we can go one step further."

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