Different format, same result as New Zealand deliver again

But a team that have been right at the top of the game across all three formats in recent years have again delivered on the big stage.

Williamson’s Black Caps won the ICC World Test Championship in 2021, reached the final of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 and could have beaten England in that 50+1-over clash. And now they’re into the final four of the T20 World Cup.

The fact that New Zealand have qualified at the expense of India, who were many pundits’ pre-tournament favourites, underlines the quality of the achievement. And Williamson and company deserve to progress.

It’s been an unremarkable but ruthless run through the Super 12 stage ever since the early setback against Pakistan, with the team’s simple but effective strategy proving too much for India, Scotland, Namibia and Afghanistan.

They will likely be considered underdogs for the semi-final, but that’s a role they revel in.

Road to the semi-finals

New Zealand's T20 World Cup campaign got off to the rockiest of starts when they were defeated by five wickets by Pakistan in their opening match. Just as when Pakistan beat India, the nature of the loss raised question marks over New Zealand's credentials as contenders.

They quickly put those questions to bed by trouncing India by eight wickets as their all-star attack dismantled a highly vaunted batting order. It was Trent Boult who did the majority of the damage as India were restricted to just 110, and the Kiwis chased it down with five and a half overs remaining

Scotland pushed them in their third match, coming within 16 runs of chasing down a target of 172 and there was a scare against Namibia too, but by the time the Black Caps reached their final group match, they had their fate in their own hands.

And they made no mistake against Afghanistan to once again seal their spot in the finals of an ICC event. It was Boult and Tim Southee who did much of the damage to restrict Afghanistan to 124/8, and the chase was conservative but comfortable.

What’s worked for them

Plan A has clicked for New Zealand. With the bat the plan involves the openers setting an aggressive tone before Williamson comes in to control things through the middle, with power hitters to come. And it’s worked on the whole, with the top three all in form.

With the ball, it’s all about early inroads from Southee and Boult, aided by eight spin overs from Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner. It’s not complicated, but it’s working.

Causes for concern

The defeat to Pakistan showed New Zealand’s vulnerability. If the openers don’t get off to a quick start then there’s potential for the side to get bogged down with the bat, which is fine if they catch up, but soaking up deliveries and then getting out for low strike rates is a risk, and that’s exactly what happened against Pakistan.

The quality of the bowling attack is good, but it’s not dynamic enough to reliably defend sub-par totals, so weight of runs will be vital for New Zealand in the final four.

Star performers

**Martin Guptill:**The veteran opener has once again been New Zealand's Mr Reliable in the format, with his brutal 93 off 56 against Scotland proving a crucial performance given how tight that match looked at times.

His 28 against Afghanistan set up New Zealand’s chase in exactly the manner required, and all opponents will eye the opening batter as one of the big threats in this Black Caps team.

Unsurprisingly he finishes the Super 12 stage as the team's highest run-scorer.

**Trent Boult:**New Zealand's star fast bowler has been humming at the showpiece event, proving both dangerous and economical.

His 3/20 against India set New Zealand on a path that would see them win four matches on the bounce to reach the semi-finals, and he delivered a consistent quality throughout the Super 12 stage.