“I had thought for a moment that maybe Kane Williamson and Eoin Morgan would bring up the topic of the 2019 World Cup again.”
Before the start of the World Cup, during the captains’ day out, Ravi Shastri mentioned the conversation between Kane Williamson and Eoin Morgan. After Shastri’s remarks, the camera turned towards Morgan and Kane Williamson. Both of them had smiles on their faces. However, Williamson’s face was not shown. Morgan has come to this event as a former World Cup-winning captain and director. Kane Williamson, on the other hand, is still the captain of New Zealand, just like four years ago. Both of them have retained their roles as captains since the last World Cup. Will Williamson get his revenge in this World Cup, specifically in that match in July?
The day in July four years ago in London brought together two teams in a World Cup final that will be forever etched in cricket history. Without getting into arguments, it can be said that the final match of the 2019 World Cup, which was played by England and New Zealand, is still fresh in our memories. In the past four years, the two teams have played 24 matches combined, and the memories of those matches are still vivid. Before this match, there are more matches to come. The last World Cup was decided by a match between these two teams, and this time too, the World Cup is starting with them.
How has One Day International cricket evolved over these four years? Morgan has retired, but the memories of the past have been revived as the World Cup excitement begins again. England is one of the favorites in this year’s World Cup, aiming to defend their title in Qatar. However, despite being the runners-up last time, New Zealand has once again embraced the role of the “dark horses” with confidence. But none of the captains are dwelling on the past.
England captain Jos Buttler said at a press conference yesterday, “I’ve said this several times before, we’re not defending anything, it doesn’t feel like that to us. We’re in a similar position as the other teams now. We’ve come to win the World Cup. It’s a fantastic tournament to be a part of, and we’re all looking forward to it. We’re all starting from the same place, with big dreams and high expectations until the end.”
New Zealand’s accomplished captain, Tom Latham, stated, “You guys (the media) will decide that. However, we’re not looking at it that way. We’re a bit like a ‘que sera, sera’ team, doing our own thing the way we want. Each team prefers to play in their own unique style, and we have our own style. We know if we can execute that, it will be difficult for us to lose.”
Even before the match, New Zealand’s team has suffered a setback. It was already known that Williamson would not be available for this match. Latham confirmed yesterday that Tim Southee would not play for the team either. Southee, who bowls with his right hand, has not fully recovered from a finger injury. England also has concerns due to Jofra Archer’s injury, and the fast bowler is unlikely to bowl in this match. Buttler clarified that once Archer is fit, he will only play as a batsman, not as a bowler, similar to the last World Cup’s final hero, Ben Stokes.
Before the long tournament, each team had two warm-up matches. Due to rain, England was only able to play one match against Bangladesh. On the other hand, New Zealand won both their matches against Pakistan and South Africa. England and New Zealand played a bilateral series just last month. England won the four-match series 3-1. Latham is prepared for that, saying, “From our perspective, we need to think about where we want to set the bar. We want to put them under pressure. We know they’ll come hard at us, but that’s an opportunity for us. We’re ready for it, and if we can do it, it will be fantastic.”
England will surely not want to provide that opportunity.
