Rest will help NZ give off their best

NZ’s Will Young during a practice session yesterday. Pic/PTI

From the beginning of this World Cup, I have watched a certain deodorant advertisement on TV about a thousand times. The one where the girl is walking on a street with a bag in her hand right after a category 13 cyclone. In a bizarre incident in Dharamsala during the India v New Zealand match, fog descended on the stadium and stopped play for a few minutes. Dharamsala is a beautiful part of our planet and nature once again reminded us of its presence.

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Although the Black Caps lost their first match of the tournament, they didn't do much wrong. After being 19 for 2 they did well to reach 273. They fought hard with the ball and in the field. They were one wicket away from having a crack at India's untested lower order and if it hadn't been for the Kohli-Jadeja partnership, NZ could have been looking at a completely different result. To summarise, the loss to India is merely a speed breaker (we call them judder bars in New Zealand) in an otherwise impressive campaign.

Since that India game, the Black Caps have enjoyed some downtime in Dharamsala. They met his holiness The Dalai Lama at his residence and have been exploring the beautiful slopes of the Himalayas. Every player that I have spoken to has been thankful for the break. A timely recharge of the batteries which is required in a long tournament like this one.

In a world full of day-night cricket, a New Zealand v Australia contest is a rare day game. It will be interesting to see if the 10.30 am start offers anything extra to the seamers in terms of movement in the air or off the wicket. If that is the case, a Tim Southee selection could be on the cards at the expense of say a Lockie Ferguson. Captain Tom Latham in the pre-match press conference did acknowledge the fact that a day game does mean planning and strategising a bit differently to a day-night game. At least you don't have to worry about dew.

Rahul Patil, a Wellington-based Indian-born writer, is following NZ's fortunes at this World Cup

The Trans-Tasman rivalry is a well known one across many different sporting disciplines. In the past a New Zealand vs Australia contest has always provided exciting cricket. This tournament hasn't yet had a nail-biting finish. With Australia finding their mojo after a shaky start and the blackcaps playing good consistent cricket this has all the makings of a classic. New Zealand are a couple of wins away from sealing a semifinal spot. If they manage to beat Australia tomorrow, they will definitely leave Dharamshala feeling higher than some of the peaks that they have been staring at for the last one week.