Kiwi batting continues to disappoint

The New Zealanders after their defeat against South Africa find themselves in a desperate situation to stay alive in the competition. A w...

The New Zealanders after their defeat against South Africa find themselves in a desperate situation to stay alive in the competition. A win over India on Saturday may get them into the semis, but the Kiwis will need to dig deep and reassess their game plan.The batting continues to be a big disappointment. Nathan Astle and Matt Horne have yet to do what Kirsten and Gibbs have done, which is make runs when it really matters. Between them, they have a highest score of 36 in eleven innings. Astle, who has scored six one-day hundreds, has had a nightmare tournament with a highest score of 20 and averaging under ten, while Horne is averaging about 14. There is too much pressure on the top and middle order to rebuild the early damage done.

It would be nice to see Craig McMillan or Stephen Fleming coming out to bat with hundred or more runs on the board instead of being two for 20. Inconsistent opening batting performances have plagued the New Zealand team for some years now. No Kiwi has looked like scoring 100 inthis competition, and on the other hand you have the Indians who have scored five of the seven tournament centuries.

India is also in a desperate situation and need to beat New Zealand, but there is still the possibility that both New Zealand and India will be eliminated at the weekend. India should beat New Zealand and comfortably so. India will have four points and New Zealand three points, but that may still not prove to be enough to edge out Australia or Pakistan. Only New Zealand will be totally out in that case.

Pakistan right now are vulnerable and may have some injury problems, but they have enough talent to beat Zimbabwe. If they do, then they will join South Africa in the last four. Zimbabwe will still go through with five points.

The Australians are finding form at the right time and look good. They will give South Africa a gigantic fight and if they win they go through comfortably. But if they lose, they will have four points as India and will still go through in the case of a two-way tiewith India because they have beaten them already. But if Pakistan also lose and remain on four points, the same as India assuming they beat New Zealand and Australia assuming they lose to South Africa there will be a three-way tie and net run rates come into play.

Zimbabwe has done enough to reach the semi finals with that crucial one point they got from the abandoned match over New Zealand.

The way the quot;Super Sixquot; points table has worked at this stage of the competition, it has kept the interest and intrigue for the spectators and the players. Teams that are able to peak, respond to pressure and pull out the big performance when it matters most, deserve to reach the semis. There is no room for error and New Zealand, while being denied a valuable point in that abandoned match they may have won over Zimbabwe, they have made too many mistakes and failed to produce the big result against Pakistan, the West Indies and now South Africa. To lose to those teams and win the tournament doesn8217;t soundright.

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Unless New Zealand can conquer a much improved India on Saturday, to be crowned World champions is now only a dream.