Our batting unit has performed considerably well, admits Jimmy Neesham
All-rounder Jimmy Neesham has admitted that it's the batting unit which has performed considerably well and has allowed them to carry the winning momentum post World Cup. New Zealand's 71-run defeat on Friday against Australia was their first in ODIs since the momentous World Cup final last year.
New Zealandâs 71-run loss against Australia on Friday was their first in ODIs since the World Cup final last year. The team has a fabulous run in the 50-over format since December 2017, winning five out of eight bilateral rubbers, including a 3-nil whitewash of India last month. The positive thing to take away from the loss was the way the Kiwi bowlers reacted after getting smashed by the Aussie openers.
The New Zeland side has brought in a feel-good factor which has acted like a catalyst for the men in black. In the series against India, the Kiwi openers put on a show on all three occasions and gave New Zealand that early advantage in the game. Blackcaps allrounder seconded that thought of keeping the feel-good factor has helped New Zeland reach the ladder of success.
"We had a fairly lengthy layoff since the World Cup, but we talked about trying to continue on the things we were doing that tournament and keep that momentum going from the good one-day cricket we've played over the last two or three years. So to see the guys, especially the batting unit, put together three really good performances was really pleasing," said Neesham as quoted by Sportstar.Â
New Zealand have reached the semifinals of the World Cup on eight occasions, and since 2007, they have always got there. In 2015 and 2019, they reached the final, but couldn't cross the line. The thing that has stayed with them at all times is scrapping all the way to the finishing line. Brendon McCullum gave a phrase âfind a wayâ has stayed with team post his retirement. They have nevertheless an enviable record in the competition, one that Neesham attributed to a 'Kiwi' trait and the influence of some "calm heads."
 âI think it's probably down to just fighting for every little scrap you can get. In bilateral series, you have time to work out opposition and find out well how different plans work whereas in tournament play it's all about who's better on the day, who handles the big occasion better and I think we've got a lot of really calm heads in our team that perform well under pressure.
"We just know how to scrap for every run we can get, every wicket we can get in the field. And we really enjoy that as a group. It's quite a Kiwi attribute to be little scrappers, and we enjoy that challenge of coming up against the biggest names in the world tournament,â he added.