New Zealand’s Early Exit from T20 World Cup 2024
New Delhi: In a surprising turn of events, New Zealand’s journey in the T20 World Cup 2024 has come to an early end. This marks the first time since the 2014 edition that the Blackcaps will not feature in the semi-finals of a limited-overs World Cup.
Consecutive Defeats Cost New Zealand Dearly
New Zealand’s campaign was derailed by consecutive defeats against Afghanistan and the West Indies in Group C. These losses proved costly, as Afghanistan’s seven-wicket victory over Papua New Guinea in Trinidad on Thursday extinguished New Zealand’s faint hopes of advancing further. Co-hosts West Indies joined Afghanistan as the two teams to progress to the ‘Super 8s’ from Group C.
Lack of Warm-Up Matches and IPL Commitments
Ahead of the T20 World Cup, the New Zealand squad did not participate in any warm-up matches. Additionally, the involvement of key New Zealand players in the Indian Premier League (IPL) meant they missed the tour to Pakistan, potentially impacting their preparation for the tournament.
Pakistani Media Highlights IPL Disruption
Pakistani media outlets have pointed to the IPL commitments as a contributing factor to New Zealand’s early elimination. One journalist wrote on ‘X’: “New Zealand had a great chance to prepare themselves for World Cup 2024 on Pakistan tour but their main players chose IPL and now they are out of the World Cup.”
Another journalist posted: “Send C teams to tours, prefer money & IPL & never play together for World Cup preparation. Sorry but KW & NZ deserve this situation,” referring to skipper Kane Williamson.
Reactions from Former Players
Former New Zealand pacer Mitchell McClenaghan reacted to these comments on his ‘X’ account, stating: “Very poor take. You lost games to our C side, Ireland and the USA.”
The reasons behind New Zealand’s early elimination are multifaceted, but the potential disruption caused by players’ IPL commitments has sparked significant debate.(cricket betting tips)