AUCKLAND // Brendon McCullum has said New Zealand will go on all-out attack against South Africa at Eden Park, as they seek a first appearance in a Cricket World Cup final.
The host nation’s captain thinks it would be unwise to try to temper the aggressive gameplan that has served them so well in winning seven consecutive matches so far.
Now at the semi-final stage, he said the Black Caps have to commit to their “most authentic style” of play, despite the high stakes.
“The way we’ve been playing is obviously a pretty exciting brand of cricket,” McCullum said at his eve of match press conference.
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“Just because it’s a pressure game you shouldn’t change that. It’s the greatest chance for success, we know that.
“For us to compete against big teams on a regular basis and for us to win crunch games, we need to remain true to that.
“I believe that’s our most authentic style of cricket, it’s one that serves us well, and I wouldn’t expect that that would change.”
Even if their mindset does not change, their playing XI certainly will.
Adam Milne, the fast bowler, has been ruled out of the tournament by a heel injury, with Matt Henry, another seam bowler, called into the squad as cover.
Judged on the bare statistics, Milne’s impact on his maiden World Cup has been negligible.
He has taken just five wickets at an average of nearly 40, and an economy rate of over five runs per over.
However, the 22-year-old pace-bowler’s contributions have often come at valuable times.
Against West Indies in the quarter-final, for example, he ended Chris Gayle’s counter-attack, and thus extinguished the Caribbean side’s faint chances.
“He’s made a significant impact to get us to this point,” Mike Hesson, the New Zealand coach, said of Milne.
“He gives us variety, gives us extra pace, and he gives us the ability to attack at different times of the innings. Even though he might not have got wickets at his end, he certainly helped create them at others.”
The decision on whether Kyle Mills, Mitchell McClenaghan or Henry replaces Milne in the XI will be taken on the morning of the match, with the weather conditions likely to determine who plays.
“Hopefully it’s not a once in a lifetime opportunity for Adam, but he’s gutted and all the players are gutted for him,” Hesson said.
“He’s a popular member of the group, and hopefully he’ll be around.”
Despite the loss of Milne, and the short time-frame between Saturday’s quarter-final win in Wellington and this game, McCullum says his side remain in fine spirits.
They have been inspired by Martin Guptill’s record-breaking feats, after he posted 237 not out in the landslide win over the West Indies.
“We all just sat back and enjoyed it,” McCullum said of the highest individual innings in World Cups, which Guptill posted at the Wellington Regional Stadium.
“We always try and hope that one of us will be able to go out there and peel off a score of such significance that we saw from ‘Gup’ the other day.
“To actually see it unfold and to see it in such a crunch game, and for him to still display the same gameplan which he trains so hard for, was just confirmation it can be done.
“I think that will flow on in terms of confidence to the rest of the squad.
“I still can’t quite believe how big a score he actually got the other day.
“That was a sublime innings and one that he’ll never forget and one that everyone that was at the ground will never forget, either.”
pradley@thenational.ae
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