That's the thing about good teams. Not that they never get into trouble but that they invariably find a way to did themselves out of the hole. In this particular instance Peter Fulton held the innings together while Brendon McCullum and James Franklin applied the finishing touch. The thing we like about this Kiwi side is that they do everything very matter-of-factly. There is no drama in their play. This is how seasoned cricket teams are supposed to win their matches. With this win, they are a shoo in for the semi-final berth. We are still backing NZ to be one of the two sides that can beat Australia.
The Irish have nothing to be ashamed with their effort. They did the best they could and only lost their way in the last 7 overs while they were bowling. Once NZ made 263, the game was out of Ireland's reach. All they could hope to do was compete. The fact that the Irish could not compete was because NZ has too much firepower at their disposal. Shane Bond did what he has been doing throughout this world cup by bowling magnificently.
Bond has cut down on his pace a little bit but, if anything, he has become more dangerous. He is able to bowl an excellent line and length and produces some beauties every once in a while. The fact that Kiwi's field brilliantly means that these beauties that Bond produces almost always get him wickets. Another hero for NZ today was Daniel Vettori. Daniel Vettori is a spinner in the Anil Kumble mould. Vettori preys on the tailenders and is very difficult to get away with. He was extremely effective today and ended up with 4 wickets for 23 runs in his 8.4 overs. It was a very clinical and effective bowling performance from NZ today.
Overall, NZ should be very pleased with this win and by scuttling Ireland out for 134 runs, their NRR is also healthy. They just need to hold it all together for a few more weeks and they have a very good chance of taking the world cup with them.
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