West Indies Eye Advantage Against Underprepared New Zealand in Crucial World Cup Clash

West Indies captain Rovman Powell believes his team faces an “undercooked” New Zealand side at the perfect time, following New Zealand’s heavy defeat to Afghanistan in the opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Both teams have had their preparations hampered by rain and inadequate practice facilities at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad. New Zealand’s afternoon training session was cut short due to unplayable practice pitches, while heavy rain washed out West Indies’ evening session entirely.

The start of the rainy season in Trinidad has cast a shadow on the match, with the national meteorological service issuing a yellow-level weather warning for Wednesday night. New Zealand coach Gary Stead expressed frustration with the practice facilities, stating that the pitches were too slippery to use safely.

“The balls were going through the top of the surface,” Stead said. “We had a good fielding training session instead.”

New Zealand’s batting woes have been compounded by the lack of proper practice against fast bowling. With a crushing defeat to Afghanistan already under their belt, pressure mounts on the Black Caps as they face a must-win encounter against West Indies.

Powell sees this as an opportunity for his team. “Definitely, if there’s a good time to play New Zealand, I think it’s now,” he said. “They’re a little bit undercooked. The pressure is really on them.”

While England chased down a massive 267-run target against West Indies at the same venue in December, both captains anticipate a lower-scoring match due to the potential impact of rain and the nature of the pitch.

“With the rain around, that can play a part in the scores,” Powell said. “Hopefully tomorrow is a very good day in terms of the weather.”

New Zealand might see some changes to their lineup, with leg-spinner Ish Sodhi and all-rounder James Neesham potentially coming into the side to exploit specific weaknesses in the West Indies batting order.

“We try to go in and work out what our best match-ups are,” Stead said. “[Selection] will be heavily influenced by West Indies’ potential weaknesses.”

New Zealand’s net run rate has taken a significant hit after the Afghanistan loss, making qualification for the Super 8s stage a significant challenge. They must win their remaining matches convincingly and rely on favorable results from other Group C encounters.

“We know what’s in front of us: we have to win three games and win them well,” Stead said. “We now have to go out there and put in a performance that we’re proud of.”