For New Zealand, it is much more difficult as they have lost both their matches. The Kiwis need a big win over West Indies to improve their net run-rate and then too they will need Sri Lanka to beat England by a big margin if they want to qualify.
So, one can expect a lot of excitement in this match. West Indies has some dangerous players in their side and New Zealanders have a habit of doing well in World tournaments.
Let’s have a look at some of the players who can make the difference in today’s match:
West Indies:
Chris Gayle: He is the most dangerous batsmen in T20s. Gayle has some amazing hitting power and West Indies depend on him heavily. The one match he failed, West Indies lost badly. Gayle will fancy his chances against the Kiwi bowlers; he has to fire if West Indies have to win with a big margin.
Marlon Samuels: Like Gayle, Samuels too has been very consistent in this tournament. He has two half-centuries to his name and captain Darren Sammy will hope that Samuels can continue his good run. Samuels holds the record of the biggest six in this tournament and he will be looking to better that.
Sunil Narine: Narine has disappointed so far in the tournament. He has failed to make any influence and has struggled to pick any wickets. Narine will know that he has not lived up to the expectations and will be looking to put up a good show in this important contest.
Ravi Rampaul: Rampaul in the last couple of matches has provided his team the initial breakthroughs and he will be looking to repeat that. Rampaul can surprise batsmen with his pace and bounce. He will need to be more economical though.
New Zealand:
Brendon McCullum: If West Indies have Chris Gayle, than New Zealand have Brendon McCullum. McCullum is the most successful T20 batsmen and is the only player who has two T20 hundreds to his name. New Zealand need McCullum to fire if they want a big win.
James Franklin: He was the only saving grace for New Zealand team against England. Franklin has a lot of experience playing in different T20 leagues and can play according to the situation. Franklin can go big if quick runs are needed.
Daniel Vettori: It is a big game and big players will have to step up for the Kiwis. Vettori has had a pretty quite tournament and will be looking to put up a brave show tonight. It will be interesting to see how he bowls against his RCB teammate Gayle.
Tim Southee: He was brilliant against Sri Lanka but had a bad outing against England in the last match. Southee is a wicket-taking but can go for a lot of runs. He troubles Chris Gayle when New Zealand travelled to the Caribbean and the onus will once again be on him to get Gayle out of New Zealand’s way.
By Indian Sports News Network