London: Former New Zealand star Daniel Vettori insists his country are still World Cup contenders despite their recent stumbles.
New Zealand suffered their second defeat of the tournament against Australia at Lord’s on Saturday, losing by 86 runs against the holders after a defeat to Pakistan in their previous game.
The Black Caps are not assured of a semi-final berth with one game left against title rivals England next week. But Vettori remains confident the 2015 World Cup runners-up will stay calm ahead of the England clash and should be capable of advancing to the knockout stages.
“I still definitely feel that this New Zealand side can make history and win it all,” Vettori said in an ICC Media column. “Two losses at this stage will be tough to take but they have been so good for so long and have so many experienced players that I am sure they will pull through. “It is a bit tighter now, but I still think they will feel pretty confident. Even if every result goes against them, their net run rate should still put them into the semi-finals.
“The nature of this New Zealand team for an extended period of time now has been to stay pretty constant, to not panic.”
Vettori says New Zealand have been playing well enough not to lose faith in their game-plan. “They will understand that they have played some really good cricket in this tournament,” he said. (AFP)
