18 June 2024 Punjab Khabarnama : New Zealand’s early exit from the ongoing T20 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean islands was particularly disappointing given their strong track record in previous editions, where they consistently reached at least the semi-finals.
Their campaign was derailed by an unexpected loss to Afghanistan and a defeat at the hands of co-hosts West Indies, and ended with a meaningless victory against Papua New Guinea, a team considered to be one of the weakest in the tournament.
The win provided little solace for the Kiwis, who were already eliminated from the competition.
“It’s natural at the end of the World Cup cycle, and especially if you haven’t done quite as well as what you wanted, that there’s a lot of reflections going on,” said the NZ head coach Gary Stead, as quoted by Reuters. .
As the team looks to rebuild and prepare for the next T20 World Cup in 2026, to be held in Sri Lanka and India, changes to the squad are likely.
Trent Boult, a veteran seamer, has already announced that this was his last World Cup appearance. Further adjustments to the team’s composition may be necessary to revitalize their performance and ensure a stronger showing in future tournaments.
“Usually these things mean there’s a line in the sand that’s made and from there you make decisions around the way forward. I guess for us, looking at the next T20 World Cup in two years’ time, it will be very quickly into (deciding) what does that look like (and) which of these players remain in the group,” added the coach.
The Black Caps have enjoyed success under the leadership duo of captain Williamson and coach Stead, securing victory in the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) in 2021 and reaching the T20 World Cup final in the United Arab Emirates shortly after.
New Zealand’s early exit from the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean marks the end of an impressive streak in major cricket tournaments, coming just seven months after Kane Williamson’s team reached their fifth consecutive semi-finals in the 50-over World Cup.
Stead’s contract as an all-formats coach extends until the conclusion of the current WTC cycle in 2025, but he may consider relinquishing his responsibilities in the white-ball formats, having previously advocated for a specialist to oversee the shorter formats.
Despite their achievements, a long-sought-after white-ball trophy continues to elude New Zealand, leading supporters to question whether the current leadership has the ability to secure one.
Similarly, Williamson, who relinquished the Test captaincy to paceman Tim Southee in 2022, may decide it is time for a new leader to take the reins in white-ball cricket or opt to drop a format to extend his playing career.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Williamson, who is 33, was asked about his Test future. “There’s a bit of time between now and then (2026), so it’s about regrouping as a side. We’ve got red-ball cricket over the next year basically, so it’s back into some other international formats, and we’ll see where things land.”
“The older New Zealand players would have looked at this (T20 World Cup) as maybe their last good opportunity, so it might be that it’s time to move on,” former captain Stephen Fleming told ESPNcricinfo.
New Zealand’s Test team, whioch concluded the previous cycle in sixth place while attempting to retain their WTC crown, might face difficulties in reconstructing a competitive T20 squad for the 2026 World Cup.
Some of the team’s veteran players, such as 35-year-old Southee, who has been Boult’s long-time bowling partner, may opt for a reduced workload or pursue a profitable path in franchise cricket.
