WTC final: SWOT analysis of New Zealand ahead of the final

New Zealand enter the WTC final having turned their fortunes around in Test cricket over the last two years. They have been a force to be reckoned with in this period and enter the WTC final as the Number 1 ranked side in Tests.

They have also named their 15-man squad for the WTC final. Barring any last minute injury concerns, the Kiwis are likely to go into the match with four pacers and a lone spinner in Ajaz Patel. It remains to be seen if they will play Colin de Grandhomme as the all-rounder.

New Zealand head coach Gary Stead went on to add that they will choose one out of Patel and de Grandhomme, with the final nod to be given a day before the final. Here in this article, we analyze the strengths and weaknesses of this Kiwi side, along with potential opportunities and threats.

SWOT Analysis of New Zealand ahead of WTC Final

Strengths

The strength of New Zealand in this WTC final will be their stacked pace attack. Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Kyle Jamieson and Neil Wagner have been superb in the last two years and will expect a lot of support from the Southampton pitch.

“Pace just makes red-ball cricket exciting, I’m a cricket fan and I want to produce a pitch where the cricket lovers have to watch every ball in case they miss something, be that some class batting or an amazing spell of bowling,” said head curator Simon Lee about the pitch which will be rolled out for the WTC final.

Weaknesses

If we focus on the comments made by head coach Gary Stead ahead of the WTC final, there seems to be uncertainty over the position of the lone spinner. Ajaz Patel pipped Mitchell Santner as the only spin bowler in the 15-member squad. However, this could be their weakness as Southampton has tended to offer spin and assistance in the past.

Santner has more experience in the Test arena and is one of the best left-arm spinners in all formats. The selection of Patel is likely to place a lot of pressure on the 32-year-old’s shoulders. It remains to be seen if he will be able to deal with these expectations if he makes the starting XI.

“The role of the spinner is probably a little more of an attacking one than it is in New Zealand at times. We felt we needed to have who we thought was our best spinner in terms of the guy who can take wickets for us and that’s why Ajaz got that nod,” Gary Stead said after naming the squad for the WTC final.

Opportunities

New Zealand reached the final of the 2015 ICC World Cup as well as the 2019 edition, but came up short in both clashes. The defeats have not damaged their spirits, however, and they find themselves in yet another ICC tournament final. This will be their opportunity for this talented generation of New Zealand cricketers to go the extra distance and clinch a major title.

They come into the WTC final after beating England in a 2-match Test series and have acclimatized quite well to the conditions. The Black Caps will also know that India enter the final without playing an international Test since February and this will give them a huge psychological boost as well.

Threats

Perhaps the biggest threat for New Zealand in the WTC final is the depth and confidence of this Indian team. Despite not playing a Test for four months, they enter the final having dominated England at home and the Aussies Down Under.

This Indian team looks far more settled and their batting roles are well-defined. Most importantly, on a Southampton pitch that has offered turn and bounce to spinners in the past, Ravichandran Ashwin could be the biggest threat to New Zealand’s batting order, which boasts three left-handers in the top six.