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Live sport on SN this weekendBlackcaps, it's time to slay the Indian cricket juggernaut on their turf
Logan Swinkels • November 15th, 2023 8:49 am
The Blackcaps and a Cricket World Cup semi-final, name a more iconic duo. How about Grant Elliott and Eden Park?
I can still vividly recall that 2015 semi-final against South Africa like it was yesterday: five runs required off two balls as Elliott sent Dale Steyn’s delivery over the boundary.
Elliott’s raised arms, his embrace with batting partner Daniel Vettori, the incredible act of sportsmanship of Elliott’s outstretched arm to a dejected Steyn, plus the elation on captain Brendon McCullum’s face knowing what comes next - they are all images burnt into the memory of Kiwi cricket fans.
Unfortunately, I was not one of the lucky ones to be in the stands that day, attempting to catch the match-winning six. I was two kilometres down the road in my Eden Terrace apartment watching on TV. I heard the massive pop of the crowd a good thirty seconds before seeing the reason why on my screen. An unbelievable moment in New Zealand cricket history, paired perfectly with the lines “Grant Elliott, superman!” from commentator Ian Smith.
It’s funny how full circle life and sport can become - all names mentioned so far, aside from Vettori and Steyn, have been involved with this radio station. And while Smithy is in India calling for the ICC, Elliott will be part of the SENZ commentary team tonight, alongside Daniel McHardy, Peter McGlashan, Bharat Sundaresan and Tom Bartlett, looking to bring another great moment to the ears of Blackcaps fans around the nation.
By now New Zealand knows what it takes to reach the pinnacle of the 50-over tournament - get a few good wins under the belt and make sure the net run rate remains in a healthy position above zero.
In this 2023 edition, the Blackcaps got off to a bang with their nine-wicket defeat of England - from that result a star was born.
Rachin Ravindra smashed 123 not out off 96 balls, alongside his Wellington Firebirds teammate Devon Conway on 152 not out. The 23-year-old quickly became the World Cup’s breakout performer with innings of 116, 108 and 42 against Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka respectively.
After a few speed bumps, NZ did not register another win until their last group stage match against Sri Lanka – the most frustrating arguably being the 21-run loss to Pakistan via the DLS method. The Blackcaps finished on five wins, four losses for ten points with a net run rate of 0.743, ahead of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Standing in their way of another World Cup Final is the hosts India, the tournament’s hottest team remain undefeated and only the Kiwis have come the closest to upsetting that run in their four-wicket defeat with twelve balls remaining last month.
Four years ago, the Blackcaps toppled India in a semi-final that spanned over two days due to the Manchester rain – so this isn’t new territory for the Kiwis, but that was in England. A win against this Indian side that features three of the World Cup’s top run-scorers with Virat Kohli (594), Rohit Sharma (503), and Shreyas Iyer (421), plus top wicket-takers Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Ravi Jadeja, will be a task of the tallest order.
Dare to dream, New Zealand - we are a team of 5 million versus a team of 1.4 billion.
SENZ will have live coverage of the Blackcaps vs India from 9pm on all local frequencies and the SENZ app, first ball at 9.30pm.
