Struggling Kiwis would be keen to prove critics wrong

S S Ramaswamy

Mumbai, Feb 11 (PTI) Known to punch above their weight inmajor events but desperately struggling for form right now,New Zealand would need a lot more than their much-admiredfighting spirit in the World Cup after disastrous results intheir recent one-day outings.

Daniel Vettori''s men were thrashed by Bangladesh andIndia in the 50-over contests when they recently visited thesub-continent and also lost to Pakistan 2-3 in their lastouting in the run-up to cricket''s showpiece startingFebruary 19.

Former New Zealand captain Glenn Turner recently ruledout his country as a serious contender for the title andVettori and co. would be eager to prove the former openerwrong.

The Kiwis would be anxious to turn the corner and cannotchoose a better platform than the World Cup to do so.

Placed in Group A as fifth seeds with holders Australia,unpredictable Pakistan, confident Sri Lanka and underdogsZimbabwe - apart from Canada and Kenya - the Kiwis have theirtask cut out to achieve their initial target - of reaching thequarterfinals.

The strength of the Kiwis is they can bat deep but thekey would be how well the top-order, led by the hard-hittingBrendon McCullum and supported by the talented Jesse Ryder andRoss Taylor, fire unitedly. (More) PTI SSR VKV PM