Consistency has been the mantra for the New Zealand side. They have made the knockouts for quite some time now. They were finalists for the past two editions for the World Cup as well where they lost out to Australia in 2015 and England in 2019. Now the Kiwis look to make it a hat-trick but they face the task of going up against the hosts India at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The Kiwis already lost the league stage match to the Indian team but will be eyeing to turn their fortunes around as they aim to finally get their hands on the trophy that has eluded them for so long and rid themselves of the tag of ‘chokers.’
Follow all the action from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 including the World Cup schedule, World Cup 2023 results, and ICC Cricket World Cup points table. Players are vying to top the World Cup 2023 Most Runs and World Cup 2023 Most Wickets charts.
Here is New Zealand’s Road to Semi-final in the 2023 World Cup
Game 1: England vs New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
ENG 282/9 in 50 Overs, NZ 283/1 in 36.2 Overs
The World Cup 2023 opened with what is the replay of the 2019 edition final with the defending champions England going up against the runners-up New Zealand. England who were batting first looked to start well but Dawid Malan was sent packing by Matt Henry. Jonny Bairstow and Harry Brook followed Malan in the dressing room after failing to convert starts into big scores. Joe Root however stood strong for a valiant 77 as he only got some support from skipper Jos Buttler (43) as England set a total of 282. Matt Henry finished with 3 wickets, Mitchell Santner and Glenn Phillips got two a piece while Trent Boult and Rachin Ravindra got a scalp each.
The chase however was mostly one-sided as the Kiwis dominated. Will Young had departed for a golden duck but the pair of Devon Conway and youngster Rachin Ravindra managed to carry the team all the way. Conway finished with a massive 152* while Ravindra got 123* in just 96 deliveries to help seal the Blackcaps win by nine wickets.
Game 2: New Zealand vs Netherlands at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
NZ 322/7 in 50 Overs, NED 223 in 46.3 Overs
The Kiwis then travelled to Hyderabad to take on the Netherlands. New Zealand batted first and started well with a fifty-run stand between openers, Devon Conway and Will Young. But the experienced Roelof van der Merwe got the breakthrough to send Conway back but young Ravindra maintained his good form by scoring a fifty while Young finished with 70 runs. In the middle-order, Daryl Mitchell scored 48 while skipper Tom Latham got 53 to give the innings a much-needed push. But it was the quick knock by Mitchell Santner (36* off 17 balls_ that helped the Kiwis post a decent total of 322/7 on the board.
In the second innings, Matt Henry struck early to get rid of Vikramjit Singh while Mitchell Santner got the dangerous Max O’Dowd. Ravindra cleaned up Bas de Leede while Colin Ackermann who got 69 was dismissed by Mitchell Santner. The Kiwis kept taking wickets at regular intervals as Santner managed to finish off with a fifer. Apart from Ackermann, none of the other Dutch batters offered too much resistance as they were all out for 223 which helped New Zealand secure a 99-run victory.
Game 3: New Zealand vs Bangladesh at the M.A Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
BAN 245/9 in 50 Overs, NZ 248/2 in 42.5 Overs
After winning first two matches, New Zealand shifted their base to Chennai where they faced Bangladesh. Bowling first, the Kiwis managed to take early wickets as Trent Boult got rid of Litton Das on the very first delivery, followed by Lockie Ferguson who got Tanzid Hasan cheaply. Senior campaigners Shakib-Al-Hasan (40), Mushfiqur Rahim (66) and Mahmudullah (41) showed some fightback and helped Bangladesh to post a respectable total of 245/9.
In reply, Rachin Ravindra was dismissed early by Mustafizur Rahman. But the pair of Devon Conway and skipper Kane Williamson managed to set a 50+ partnership to keep the chase alive. Shakib came into the game and removed Conway, but the pair of Daryl Mitchell and Kane Williamson took the game away from Bangladesh’s reach with a solid stand. Williamson was forced off the field after picking up an injury but the result went in favour of the Kiwis making it three out of three.
Game 4: New Zealand vs Afghanistan at the M.A Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
NZ 288/6 in 50 Overs, AFG 139 in 34.4 Overs
New Zealand stayed in Chennai for their next game where they took on Afghanistan who are known for their potent spin-attack. Despite losing star opener Devon Conway cheaply, New Zealand posted a formidable total in front of the Afghans. Will Young (54), stand-in skipper Tom Latham (68) and Glenn Phillips (71) were the standout performers for New Zealand on a tricky batting surface. The Kiwis finished with a total of 288/6. Surprisingly it was the pacers that took the wickets with Azmatullah Omarzai and Naveen-ul-Haq with two wickets each followed by Mujeeb-ur-Rahman and Rashid Khan taking one a piece.
In the second innings, the Kiwis were on the money as they got the big wickets of openers, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran cheaply thanks to the brilliance of Matt Henry and Trent Boult respectively. Rachin Ravindra also chopped it with the wicket of Rahmat Shah. Mitchell Santner and Lockie Ferguson finished with three wickets each to clean out the Afghanistan batting unit for a mere 139 runs, making it four wins out of four.
Game 5: India vs New Zealand at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala
NZ 273 in 50 Overs, IND 274/6 in 48 Overs
The Blackcaps had the momentum on their side when they went up against the hosts India. Batting first, the Kiwis started off poorly as Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj cleaned up the openers for cheap. Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell breached the three-figure mark and scored 130. Shami was the star as he made his way back into the Indian team with a fifer restricting the Kiwis to 273 runs.
In the second innings, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill started well with a fifty-run stand but Lockie Ferguson removed the openers soon. Virat Kohli stood strong to take the chase deep and was well-supported by Ravindra Jadeja. Kohli (95) missed his ton but India secured a four-wicket win as it maredk the first loss for the Kiwis in five games this World Cup
Game 6: New Zealand vs Australia at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala
AUS 388 in 49.2 Overs, NZ 383/9 in 50 Overs
New Zealand played another match in Dharmsala against a familiar opposition – Australia. Batting first, David Warner and the returning Travis Head managed to stitch a 175-run stand where Warner scored 81 while Head got his World Cup century. Meanwhile, Glenn Phillips came into the attack and dismissed the duo in quick succession to get the ball rolling. However, Glenn Maxwell (41), Josh Inglis (38) and skipper Pat Cummins (37*) valiant knocks helped Australia post a mammoth total of 388 on the board.
After Australia’s innings, many expected it to be a one-sided affair but that was truly the case. Devon Conway and Will Young started with a quick fifty-run partnership but Josh Hazlewood showed his experience to clean up the opening duo. The Kiwis were able to steady the chase thanks to the century from Rachin Ravindra and the fifty from Daryl Mitchell as they looked in contention to get the target. But Adam Zampa came into the attack and turned the tide in Australia’s favour by dismissing Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham and Mitchell Santner while skipper Cummins got the big wicket of Rachin Ravindra. Jimmy Neesham (58) looked to take the game down to the wire but an unfortunate run-out helped seal the game for the Aussies making it consecutive losses for New Zealand.
Game 7: South Africa vs New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Stadium, Pune
SA 357/4 in 50 Overs, NZ 167 in 35.3 Overs
After back-to-back losses, New Zealand travelled to Pune but failed to change its fortunes and lost to the Proteas. Batting first, South Africa lost their skipper Temba Bavuma early but the pair of Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen managed to bring up a 200-run stand destroying the Kiwi bowlers. In the business end, David Miller chipped in with a 53-run knock as South Africa set a target of 358.
Chasing the mammoth total, the Kiwi batting just didn’t click as Marco Jansen managed to get early wickets – Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra. The rest of the batting order soon followed, Glenn Phillips was the only batter who displayed some fight as the Kiwis succumbed under pressure and registered three consecutive losses.
Game 8: New Zealand vs Pakistan at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
NZ 401/6 in 50 Overs, PAK 200/1 in 25.3 Overs (DLS Method)
If there was one way to come back into form, one would assume scoring 401 was enough while batting first. Batting first, Rachin Ravindra managed to bring up yet another ton followed by skipper Williamson’s 95 and a quick contribution by Glenn Phillips with 41 runs off 25 deliveries. Santner also chipped in with 26 off 17 balls along with Mark Chapman who scored 39 of 27 deliveries as New Zealand breached the 400-run mark.
When it comes to a target of 401 you would think that the team has this in the bag.
But that was not the case as Pakistan turned up to make the chase happen as rain also assisted them well. Despite the early dismissal of Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman let loose to score a quick 126 off 81 along with Babar Azam’s 66. Fortune favoured Pakistan as the rain came into the play and stopped the game when Pakistan were 200/1 in 25.3 overs and the Men in Green were ahead in the DLS par score to make it four losses on the bounce.
Game 9: Sri Lanka vs New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
SL 171 in 46.4 Overs, NZ 172/5 in in 23.2 Overs
After a morale-shattering loss to Pakistan, New Zealand looked to turn their fortunes in Bengaluru in their final game against Sri Lanka. The Kiwi bowling unit started strong here with Tim Southee striking in his first over to get rid of Pathum Nissanka. It just went downhill for Sri Lanka after that as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Kusal Perera was the only batter who put up a fight with his quickfire knock of 51 in 28 balls. Trent Boult was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets, while Lockie Ferguson, Mitchell Santner and Rachin Ravindra picked two wickets each as Sri Lanka were bundled out for just 171.
New Zealand started strong in the chase as openers Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra shared a solid 86-run stand. In the middle-order, Daryl Mitchell continued his fine form and scored 43 in 31 deliveries, while Glenn Phillips (17*) eventually closed the game to seal the win which helped New Zealand qualify for the semis.
What’s Next?
The semi-finals will be a replay of the 2019 edition where the Kiwis will now take on India. History might favour the Kiwis but the current Indian team is a force to reckon with. The Men in Blue are the only beaten side in the tournament thus far but in the big game like semi-final past record doesn’t matter much.
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