Kiwi batting showed a few chinks under pressure

Starting with the co-hosts, New Zealand has a blemishless streak at the World Cup right now, but there have been challenging moments in their campaign so far. The batting has not looked as assured as it should during pressure moments.

It’s their bowling that’s really delivered with Trent Boult ranking alongside Mitchell Starc as the most effective and destructive bowler of the tournament. He has added serious firepower to the attack and has revelled in home conditions. The big plus has been Daniel Vettori’s performance, which gives the Black Caps the variation in the attack that makes it so potent. What Vettori lacks in spin, he more than compensates with his deft variations of pace and the angles of the deliveries.

I was in Auckland for the Australia-New Zealand game and was surprised at how enthused the supporters were. People normally are consumed by rugby but at the moment it’s not about the All Blacks but about the cricket. My only fear for Brendon McCullum and his men is the batting - that still might be an Achilles Heel in a pressure situation. They were six down against Scotland and just got past Australia, which suggests that they might have problems when it is a pressure situation.

Another less pressing concern would be whether they would be able to handle Australian conditions in the final, should they make it that far, after playing all their games at home.

The Australians too have a wonderful team that is packed with the talent and variety that is capable of winning the World Cup. As mentioned earlier, Starc has been exceptional right through the tournament, consistently getting crucial wickets for the team. The batting too is quite simply formidable, other than the blip against New Zealand.

The only concern is whether there is a tendency of thinking someone else will take the team across the line. Each member needs to own up to the challenge of winning the tournament and not hope that someone else will deliver the goods. They will have the advantage of home conditions as well, and I really feel that they are the team that is peaking at the right time.

The force, however, has been with the defending champions. In a remarkable turnaround, the disjointed, under-motivated unit of the tri-series has blossomed into the focused, confident and aggressive side that has won every game and taken on all comers with incredible flair. It’s no surprise that the Indian batting is as good as any on view in the tournament. It has always been India’s strong suit and all the batsmen go into the knockout stage with at least one quality knock behind them.

The surprise of the tournament, however, has been the bowling of the Indian attack. All the bowlers have contributed and it looks like each member of the side knows the role assigned to him very well. There is no panic, over-enthusiasm or chaos – this is a settled side that is playing like a champion unit should. The performance of Mohit Sharma has been particularly impressive and he seems to have galvanised and energised the rest of the bowling unit. India are looking like a serious contender.

Sri Lanka also look very good, even though they lost against Australia they competed with an intensity that suggests that they have the goods to go all the way. And finally, it would take a braver person than me to rule South Africa out. They have had an up-and-down ride but, who knows, that might just be what spurs them on in the decisive leg of the tournament.

(Gameplan)