ICC World Cup 2019 | Warm-up match win against India doesnât mean much, says Ross Taylor
Ross Taylor has stated that the New Zealandâs warm-up match victory against India on Saturday does not mean much. India skipper Virat Kohli had won the toss and opted bat first on a green pitch, with overcast conditions, as he made it clear that the team had to be ready for all sorts of challenges.
The wicket for Saturdayâs encounter between New Zealand and India had a lot of grass on it, thereby, the Indian batsmen failed to counter the seam movement and the swing. The target of 180 was a cakewalk for New Zealand as they chased it down in 37.1 overs with six wickets remaining. Ross Taylor, who top scored with 71, felt that much should not be read from the warm-up encounter.
"It is a warm-up and you have to take what you want out of it. Time out in the middle for most of the batters is crucial,â he said to the media, reported Reuters.
New Zealand have never been tagged as the favourites for any edition of the World Cup but they have always managed to punch way above their weight. The finalists of the previous edition might as well emerge as the dark horses this time too. However, Taylor reckoned that they need to focus on the league games before they think about the knockout matches.
"There is a lot of cricket and some good cricket needing to be played before we even think about semi-finals and finals. If you get off to a good start and get onto a bit of a roll and make the semi-finals then you're only two wins away from lifting the trophy,â he expressed.
The 2015 edition of the quadrennial event was co-hosted by New Zealand as well as Australia and the Kiwis played all their league stage games, even the quarter-finals and the semi-finals at their home before heading to Australia for the finals. They eventually lost the game and Taylor feels that the host country always has an advantage. He termed England as the favourites.
"I think that's what makes England the favourites. They know these conditions very well,â signed off the veteran batsman.
Opening bowler Trent Boult wildly swung the ball to return with figures of 33 for four in just 6.2 overs. The bowler was delighted with the swing but was worried about the options at hand when they play on flat wickets.
"It was nice to see it swinging around a little bit and I would like to see that everywhere but there are some good wickets around the country ... (and) I think the other wickets look quite dry. The biggest challenge will be when it's not swinging or nipping around a little bit, then how do we take wickets ... (because) we know what early wickets does to any batting side,â the 29-year-old signed off.