T20 World Cup: No fuss, no noise, just business – the New Zealand way

New Zealand middle-order batter Mark Chapman looked perplexed when he was asked about the Super Eight groups, where all four table-toppers, who have done well in their respective groups, will end up facing each other. It has been done because of the pre-tournament seedings.

The 31-year-old smiled and replied, “When it comes to scheduling and planning, that’s not really in my domain.”

Chapman’s response sums up the way New Zealand play their cricket. No fuss, no theatrics, just straight down to business.

After playing three matches in Chennai and one in Ahmedabad, all on red-soil pitches, the Kiwis had only one training session to adapt to the conditions ahead of their first Super Eight match against Pakistan at the R Premadasa Stadium.

None of them rushed towards the pitch for a closer look. Once warm-ups were done, the players moved to the indoor nets. About an hour later, Daryl Mitchell came out barefoot to inspect the surface, spending a good fifteen minutes studying every inch of the 22 yards.

Chapman, who did not get to see the surface, left it to the senior leadership group.

“In the subcontinent, the toss always plays a factor depending on the conditions.

I haven’t seen the pitch yet, so I don’t actually know what it looks like. There will be discussions behind the scenes with the senior leadership group about what we want to do,” he said.

The black-soil pitches in Colombo do assist spinners, and with bigger boundaries and a slower outfield, it presents a new challenge for the 2021 T20 World Cup finalists.

“We haven’t played in Sri Lanka yet. A lot of guys in our team have played a lot of cricket here, so I don’t see that playing too much of a factor.

Guys understand what they need to do, and we are confident we will face whatever conditions are in front of us,” said Chapman, whose knees were heavily strapped.

“In India, particularly on red-soil pitches, conditions have been favourable for batting. It has been tough for the bowlers, and the margins have been very small. We have seen scores close to 200 regularly.

“Here, it is slightly different with the slower nature of the pitches.

The bowlers will hopefully get a chance to show their skills, and spinners are more likely to play a part here,” he added.

Although Pakistan are stationed in Sri Lanka, they played their group matches at two different venues in Colombo.

New Zealand will be the only team playing all their Super Eight matches at the same venue, facing Pakistan on February 21, Sri Lanka on February 25, and England on February 27, all at the R Premadasa Stadium.

“One of the challenges in tournaments like these is hopping from venue to venue and adapting. When we play three games at the same place, we learn with each game.

“It is nice to turn up at the same venue with similar pitches and adjust. Tomorrow is our first game here, so we will have to adapt anyway, but we will understand the conditions better as we go,” he said.

New Zealand’s first challenge will be Pakistan’s spin-heavy attack.

Usman Tariq, Abrar Ahmad, Mohammad Nawaz, Saim Ayub, and Shadab Khan form a strong unit.

“Pakistan have a number of very good spinners, each with their own threat. We have played them quite frequently over the last few years.

“We are well aware of what they will bring. For us, it is about being really clear in how we want to play against them,” he said.

Obviously, there was a Usman Tariq question: “Usman Tariq has a unique action with the way he pauses at the crease, so that is something to factor in.”

Chapman, whose role is to take on spinners in the middle overs, explained why running between the wickets will be crucial.

“Given the slower pitch and bigger boundaries, you have to change your game plan. Against spinners, it is about different options like the sweep or reverse sweep. In India, you can target straight boundaries more.

“For me, it is about finding different areas of the ground. There are big pockets here, so it is not all about sixes.

Twos, fours, and running between the wickets are very important, especially if it is not a high-scoring game,” he said.

New Zealand have suffered injury setbacks. Michael Bracewell has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament after re-injuring his left calf. Captain Mitchell Santner missed the last group match against Canada due to illness, while Lockie Ferguson returned home for the birth of his first child.

“Mitchell Santner looks pretty sprightly and excited to get back on the park, barring any last-minute illness.

“Lockie has just returned and is coming off a long flight. We will see how he pulls up. I cannot confirm whether he will be in the playing eleven,” Chapman said.