For many supporters of the New Zealand team, it might seem almost frivolous for the side to be carrying on in the World Cup given the massive tragedy that has hit the country in the past week. There is some truth to the saying though that 'the show must go on'. It always does, and it did for India and England in 2008 after the barbaric 26/11 attacks.
After India's epic victory in the Chennai Test then, Tendulkar had said that if the win helped people feel a little better - maybe just one percent better - then it was worth it. New Zealand will doubtless approach the rest of the World Cup in the same spirit. They will have the world's sympathy with them, and are likely to have heartfelt condolences from the Australians too. However, once the coin is tossed, both teams will be playing only to win.
For Australia, Nagpur will bring back mixed memories. It was here that they lost the Border-Gavaskar trophy to India in what was Sourav Ganguly's last Test match, and also the debut of their current spinner, Jason Krejza. The match was personally rewarding for Krejza who bagged 12 wickets, but collectively not so memorable for Australia.
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Australia: Australia started slowly against Zimbabwe, but by the time the game had ended, they were convincing victors. Their warm-up games haven't gone too well, and it was vital they got off the blocks with full steam in their opening match. However, it was the bowlers who were more responsible for making the victory a walk in the park rather than the batsmen. The bowling line-up of Brett Lee, Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson is certainly a pacy one. When they are on song, it is even a fearsome one. But of the three, it is only Brett Lee who can be relied on to exert some control under all circumstances. Tait and Johnson can either be explosive weapons or liabilities. When you add Jason Krejza into the mix, the potential for either running through a side with quick wickets or leaking runs at an expensive rate is even more clear. However, Ponting will bank on the fact that it is unlikely for all his bowlers to have a bad day together, and if one of them does, he has the firepower to neutralize that. Of greater worry is the Australian batting, and central to that is the form of Ponting himself. It is clear that Ponting's best years as a batsman are behind him, but a key component of Australia doing well has been his runs at Number 3, which have not been forthcoming with the frequency of old. Shane Watson has become the side's most reliable batsman now, but if Australia are to do well consistently, they need Ponting to be firing. There were encouraging signs for them when he hit two fifties in the warm-up games and looked fluent against Zimbabwe before being run-out, but against tougher opposition in the cauldron of a World Cup match, will Ponting's form hold is the key question for Australia.
New Zealand: The Black Caps will have the unimaginable challenge of temporarily brushing aside their natural concerns for their fellow country-men and trying to focus on winning a cricket match. Captain Daniel Vettori has admitted that the tragedy was weighing heavily on his men, and understandably so. However, the best way they can deal with it is by a victory on the field. They have a good chance of achieving one too, with the current Australian team being far removed from the invincible outfit that took part in the previous two World Cups. In Daniel Vettori, New Zealand have the perfect candidate to trouble the Aussie batsmen with their known weakness against quality spin, and Vettori has got a good foil in Nathan McCullum. In Ross Taylor, Brendon McCullum, Martin Guptill and Scott Styris they have a good batting core who can take advantage of any laxity on the part of the Aussie bowlers.
New Zealand haven't had the best of times on the cricket field, but their preparations for the World Cup got off to a great start with a knock-out punch delivered to Kenya in a match that got over almost as soon as it started. Cricket-wise, they will take confidence from their demolition of Kenya, but whether the Black Caps manage to put on even a half-decent show against Australia will depend almost entirely on how successfully they can compartmentalize their emotions.
Source: http://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/37044/preview-australia-vs-new-zealand-match-8 Tweet
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