Dutch to face stern test against New Zealand

HYDERABAD: Having already played its opening encounters in the ongoing Cricket World Cup, it is time for New Zealand and the Netherlands to venture deep into the tournament, as they face each other on Monday.

The Kiwis played the competition opener on Thursday against defending champions England, pummelling the 2019 champions by nine wickets and once again showing the intent to go deep into the tournament.

Although England posted a decent 282 for the loss of nine wickets, the New Zealanders chased down the target in 36.2 overs, thanks to Devon Conway (152*) and Rachin Ravindra (123*) playing blazing innings.

New Zealand achieved the win without is regular skipper Kane Williamson, who is yet to regain match fitness having nursed an ACL injury he suffered during the IPL earlier this year.

Tom Latham, who led the side against the Three Lions, will continue wearing the captain’s band on Monday as well after Kiwi head coach Gary Stead indicated Williamson is still not fully match-fit to feature against the Dutch.

“Kane is is progressing really well, and we are pretty confident he will be playing the third match for us. We have got another training to get through on Sunday, so we will finalise the team once we have got through that training. At this stage with Kane, we are looking like the third game is when he will start the tournament,” Stead said.

While veteran pacer Tim Southee’s inclusion in the team also looks unlikely, as he is recovering from a broken and dislocated thumb, fellow speedster Lockie Ferguson should be available provided he clears the fitness test on Sunday.

As for the Dutch, they were in a tough encounter against Pakistan on Friday, which the latter won by 81 runs. However, the Dutch did have their moments in the match, especially early on in the contest as they managed to get rid of three Pakistani batters in powerplay.

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Kane’s been progressing very well, I think the fielding is still the element for him that he’s just got to get a little bit higher and get a little more trust in his body

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Designation- Gary Stead, Coach, New Zealand